A suicide attempt following psilocybin ingestion in a patient with no prior psychiatric history
Eric N. Kramer, Kalyn Reddy, Bryan Shapiro
Psychiatry Research Case Reports April 26, 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.psycr.2023.100118 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | 30-year-old male with no psychiatric history |
| Intervention | psilocybin |
| Topics | Anxiety Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Hallucinogen Depression economics Ingestion Adverse effect Pharmacology |
| Citations | 7 |
| Key findings | A suicide attempt occurred in a man with no psychiatric history after psilocybin ingestion, highlighting a potential serious adverse event not captured in controlled trials. |
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.