Cannabis psychosis following bhang ingestion.
H R Chaudry, H B Moss, A Bashir, T Suliman
British Journal of Addiction September 1, 1991 DOI: 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1991.tb01874.x (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractIn Pakistan, individuals who ingested bhang—a cannabis beverage—and sought psychiatric treatment showed symptoms including grandiosity, excitement, hostility, uncooperativeness, disorientation, hallucinatory behavior, and unusual thought content. Compared to non-patient controls who also consumed bhang, a higher proportion of patients were chronic users and had a past history of psychotic episodes. Neuroleptic treatment resolved psychotic symptoms within five days. The presentation resembles a brief mania-like disorder with paranoid features and cognitive dysfunction.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Preliminary investigation Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Individuals in Pakistan who presented for psychiatric treatment after bhang ingestion and non-patient controls who consumed bhang |
| Intervention | Neuroleptic treatment |
| Duration | Treatment within five days of episode initiation |
| Key finding | Bhang-induced psychosis presents as a brief mania-like disorder with paranoid psychotic features and cognitive dysfunction, with patients more likely to be chronic users and have prior psychotic episodes. |
Abstract
The purpose of this preliminary investigation is to systematically characterize the signs and symptoms of cannabis psychosis in individuals who presented for psychiatric treatment in Pakistan after ingestion of bhang; a beverage containing cannabis. In order to control for the behavioral effects of cannabis alone, symptoms produced by bhang ingestion among non-patients consuming the same beverage were compared with those symptoms found among psychotic patients. Patients differed from controls in that a higher proportion of patients were found to be chronic users of bhang, and had a past history of psychotic episodes. Presenting symptoms of bhang-induced psychosis found in patients included grandiosity, excitement, hostility, uncooperativeness, disorientation, hallucinatory behavior and unusual thought content. Neuroleptic treatment successfully attenuated psychotic symptoms within five days of the initiation of the episode. The presenting symptoms of bhang-induced psychosis are consistent with a brief mania-like disorder with paranoid psychotic features, and cognitive dysfunction. Several etiologic hypotheses are proposed.