An Atypical Case of Catatonia, Abnormal Gait and Psychosis in an Adolescent with Chronic Cannabis Use
Pooja Palkar
Journal of Drugs Addiction & Therapeutics July 27, 2021 DOI: 10.47363/jdat/2021(2)114 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A 16-year-old male with no past medical or psychiatric history and a family history of psychosis |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | The authors report that a 16-year-old male with a family history of psychosis developed catatonia with impaired gait after three months of heavy cannabis use, and that psychosis surfaced as the catatonia resolved and was treated with antipsychotics. They present this as an atypical but serious clinical picture they suggest was precipitated by chronic, heavy cannabis use. |
Abstract
An association between cannabis and psychosis is well established. Cannabis use is known to precipitate schizophrenia in vulnerable individuals and it can exacerbate existing psychosis. However, there is a paucity of knowledge about the emergence of catatonia and abnormal gait associated with cannabis use. History of cannabis use is associated with long-lasting changes in open-chain elements of walking gait. Cannabinoid receptors are located in movement-related brain regions and cannabis use is suggested to affect gait. This report is a unique case of a 16-year-old male with no known past medical history, no past psychiatric history, with family history significant for psychosis who presented to the hospital for bizarre, disorganized behavior, and decreased oral intake following heavy cannabis use over the past three months in the context of a break-up. Upon arrival, he was found to be in a catatonic state with an impaired gait. As catatonia resolved with treatment, he was able to speak and the psychosis surfaced which was addressed with antipsychotics. This case report highlights an atypical but serious clinical picture observed to be precipitated by chronic, heavy cannabis use.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder after psilocybin consumption: a case study 18-year-old man with HPPD after mixed psilocybin and cannabis intoxication | 2005 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Cannabis‐induced Koro in Americans American men aged 22-26 with years of cannabis experience who reported negative... | 2001 | Case series | n = 3 |
| “Hallucinations” Following Acute Cannabis Dosing: A Case Report and Comparison to Other Hallucinogenic Drugs Healthy 30-year-old male | 2018 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder: A literature review and three case reports Patients with hallucinogen persisting perception disorder | 2018 | Case series | n = 3 |
| Cannabis Psychosis in Young Psychiatric Inpatients Consecutive psychiatric hospital admissions of patients aged 35 and under | 1986 | Case study | n = 25 |
Citations in the library
Cites 2
- Grey Matter Volume Differences Associated with Extremely Low Levels of Cannabis Use in Adolescence Journal of Neuroscience January 14, 2019
- Cannabis use is quantitatively associated with nucleus accumbens and amygdala abnormalities in young adult recreational users. Journal of Neuroscience April 16, 2014