Frozen after the smoke: A case report on cannabis induced catatonia
A. S. S. Ariyaratne, H Jayasinghe J. A. P., Prasangika Seneviratne Alles
Sri Lanka Journal of Psychiatry July 31, 2026 DOI: 10.4038/sljpsyc.v17i1.8647 (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 31-year-old male with no past psychiatric history and heavy recent cannabis use |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | The authors argue that cannabis may precipitate catatonia, based on a 31-year-old man with no psychiatric history who developed catatonia during heavy cannabis use with recent escalation. They emphasize that substance use should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute catatonic presentations and state this is the first reported case of cannabis-induced catatonia from Sri Lanka. |
Abstract
Catatonia is a syndrome of psychomotor disturbance occurring in association with various psychiatric, medical, or substance-related conditions. In this report we describe a 31-year-old male with no past psychiatric history who presented with features of catatonia in the context of heavy cannabis use with recent escalation. This case highlights cannabis as a potential precipitant of catatonia and emphasizes the importance of considering substance use in the differential diagnosis of acute catatonic presen-tations. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of cannabis-induced catatonia from Sri Lanka.
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 |