Chronic non-fatal Datura abuse in a patient of paranoid schizophrenia: A case report

Abstract Introduction A range of psychoactive substances used by patients suffering from schizophrenia varies and may include those which are fatal and may cause serious toxicity leading to death. We here present a case report of a patient suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, who was abusing Datur...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAddictive behaviors Vol. 43; pp. 39 - 41
Main Authors Khanra, Sourav, Khess, C.R.J, Srivastava, Naveen
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published England Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2015
Elsevier Science Ltd
Subjects
Abuse
Adult
Aggression - drug effects
Aggressiveness
Chronic Disease
Comorbidity
Datura
Datura stramonium
Datura stramonium - adverse effects
Diagnosis, Dual (Psychiatry)
Drug abuse
Hallucinogens
Hallucinogens - adverse effects
Humans
Irritable Mood - drug effects
Male
Non-fatal
Psychiatry
Psychopharmacology
Psychotropic drugs
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia, Paranoid - psychology
Seeds - adverse effects
Self Medication - adverse effects
Self-medication
Substance-Related Disorders - psychology
Toxicity
Schizophrenia
Non-fatal
Self-medication
Abuse
Comorbidity
Datura stramonium
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Summary:Abstract Introduction A range of psychoactive substances used by patients suffering from schizophrenia varies and may include those which are fatal and may cause serious toxicity leading to death. We here present a case report of a patient suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, who was abusing Datura stramonium over a prolonged period. Case summary A 32 year old male presented with aggressive behaviour, irritability for 6 years and regular intake of Datura seeds for 3 years. After taking detailed history and mental status examination (MSE), diagnoses of paranoid schizophrenia and mental and behavioral disorder due to use of hallucinogen were made. He had shown improvement on standard treatment with antipsychotics. Conclusion D. stramonium is recognized among emerging new psychoactive substances being used across the world. Among various theories we discuss self-medication hypothesis as a mediating factor for this case. Though D. stramonium is notorious for its life threatening sequelae, clinicians should be aware of its chronic abuse as self-medication.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
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ISSN:0306-4603
1873-6327
DOI:10.1016/j.addbeh.2014.12.002