Comorbid Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms in a Patient withMyasthenia Gravis

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a chronic illness most commonly found in women under 40 years. The most commonpsychiatric comorbidities found in MG include depressive and anxiety disorders.Clinical Presentation. We describe a case of a43-year-old African American female with MG who was brought in for shortness of breath. History included MG diagnosedtwelve years prior to the current presentation and a history of seven intubations. The patient was admitted to the ICU andintubated. She endorsed poor sleep, easy fatigability, and feeling hopeless in the context of psychosocial stressors—being single,homeless, and unemployed. The patient was started on Zoloft 50 mg per oral daily for depression and Atarax 50 mg per oralthree times a day for anxiety. The patient responded well to the treatment and was discharged on day 10 after the resolution ofher symptoms with appropriate aftercare in place.Discussion. Depressive and anxiety symptoms usually develop as comorbidityduring MG disease. Depressive and anxiety symptoms, besides motor symptoms, have a negative impact on the quality of life.Mental health must be a clinical focus during the treatment of somatic symptoms during MG.