Psychiatric Manifestations of Modern Scurvy: A Case Series and Literature Review.

The article focuses on the psychiatric manifestations of modern scurvy, highlighting two case reports and a literature review that demonstrate how vitamin C deficiency can present with neuropsychiatric symptoms, with or without classic physical signs. It emphasizes that scurvy, often considered a historical disease, remains underrecognized today, particularly in patients with risk factors such as malnutrition, substance use disorders, and chronic illnesses. The authors propose expanding diagnostic criteria to include neuropsychiatric symptoms and recommend screening for hypovitaminosis C in psychiatric patients with relevant risk factors, as vitamin C supplementation led to rapid improvement in psychiatric and physical symptoms in reported cases. The review underscores the essential role of vitamin C in central nervous system function and suggests that empirical vitamin C treatment may be beneficial in suspected neuropsychiatric scurvy due to its low cost and potential to improve outcomes.