A suicide attempt following psilocybin ingestion in a patient with no prior psychiatric history

A 30-year-old man with no psychiatric history attempted suicide by stabbing himself in the neck after ingesting psilocybin. Although most existing evidence suggests psilocybin use lowers suicidality risk, this case indicates that serious adverse events such as suicide attempts may occur. Further research is needed to determine whether psilocybin can increase suicidality risk, and if that risk depends on dose or the user's mindset and environment.

Study at a glance

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.