A suicide attempt following psilocybin ingestion in a patient with no prior psychiatric history
Psychiatry Research Case Reports – April 26, 2023
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
A 30-year-old man with no psychiatric history attempted suicide after psilocybin ingestion, a severe adverse effect. While this hallucinogen is explored as medicine for anxiety and depressive disorders in Psychiatry, most Psychedelics and Drug Studies indicate reduced suicidality. This single case highlights the need for robust Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis to understand such adverse effects. Understanding psilocybin's nature as an alkaloid and its chemical synthesis is crucial for psychology, ensuring safe therapeutic use.
Abstract
Several studies have been conducted and more are underway examining psilocybin-assisted therapy as a treatment for various psychiatric conditions including depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, and alcohol use disorder. However, many studies have been limited by small sample size and have not comprehensively evaluated treatment risks outside of controlled settings. To this point, we present a case of a 30 year old male with no psychiatric history who presented to the emergency department with multiple self-inflicted stab wounds to the neck in a suicide attempt in the setting of psilocybin ingestion. Despite the majority of existing evidence supporting a decreased risk of suicidality with psilocybin use, further studies are needed to determine if there is an increased risk of suicidality and other serious adverse events with psilocybin use, and whether such a potential relationship is dose-dependent and/or set and setting-dependent.