Debates em Psiquiatria
May 31, 2018
André Botelho Oliveira, Babington Rodrigo Silva, Eduardo Trachtenberg et al.
1 citation
Ayahuasca, a tea made from Brazilian plants, is thought to have antidepressant effects by inhibiting monoamine oxidase (MAO), but its use may trigger manic episodes. This case describes a 30-year-old man with prior bipolar type 1 disorder who, after consuming the tea, experienced a manic switch in a mixed episode, which remitted following abstinence and mood-stabilizing treatment. The case also highlights increased suicidal ideation and behavior with ayahuasca use in this population, supporting the antidepressant hypothesis through the observed manic switch in a patient with pre-existing bipolar type 1 disorder. Published case reports remain scarce.
Debates em Psiquiatria
April 29, 2016
Thaísa Silva Gios, Maria Carolina Pedalino Pinheiro, Elie Leal de Barros Calfat
1 citation
A case report describes a young woman, a member of the União do Vegetal religion, who frequently used ayahuasca and was admitted for social isolation, self-care deficits, and bizarre delusions that had gradually worsened over three years. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia and improved with electroconvulsive therapy. The authors note that clinical manifestations of hallucinogens can resemble those of schizophrenia, and pharmacological experiments with hallucinogens are often used as models of psychosis.
Debates em Psiquiatria
June 9, 2026
L. Baldaçara, G. A. Rocha, Roberto Mendes Dos Santos et al.
Cannabis, cannabis-derived products, and synthetic cannabinoids cause a range of acute emergencies including anxiety, panic attacks, altered consciousness, psychomotor agitation, cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, and cannabis-induced psychosis. High-potency preparations, especially concentrates and edibles, can produce delayed or more severe intoxication. Synthetic cannabinoids, which often act as full agonists at cannabinoid receptors, carry higher risks of severe agitation, seizures, psychosis, cardiovascular instability, acute kidney injury, and death. Management is primarily supportive, following an A-B-C-D-E emergency framework with benzodiazepines for agitation and seizures, and antipsychotics for persistent psychosis.