A young man with substance use history developed recurrent catatonia after cannabis use, requiring ongoing lorazepam above 2 mg daily to prevent relapse.
Emergency psychiatrists, neurologists, addiction medicine specialists, and clinicians evaluating altered mental status after substance use.
What the researchers found
A 23-year-old male developed mutism, social isolation, and fixed gaze after cannabis use. Recurrent catatonic episodes without hallucinations were effectively treated with ECT and lorazepam, but symptoms returned when lorazepam dropped below 2 mg/day. The systematic literature review confirms cannabis-induced catatonia as a rare but documented phenomenon.
Why it matters
Cannabis-induced catatonia is rare but may be underdiagnosed because clinicians do not typically associate cannabis with this presentation.
The numbers in context
23-year-old male. Recurrent episodes. Required lorazepam above 2 mg/day. ECT and lorazepam effective for acute episodes. 10% of psychiatric admissions involve catatonia overall.
How the study worked
Case report of recurrent cannabis-induced catatonia with systematic literature review.
What this study cannot tell us
Single case report. Cannot establish definitive causation. Patient had prior substance use disorder. Systematic review likely found very few cases.
How to read the evidence
Single case report with literature review. Useful for clinical awareness but cannot establish incidence.
When this study was published
2024 publication.
The bigger picture
As cannabis potency increases, rare but serious psychiatric reactions may become more common, challenging the perception of cannabis as having only mild psychiatric effects.
Questions still open
- What factors predispose certain individuals to cannabis-induced catatonia?
- Should catatonia screening be considered in psychiatric presentations following heavy cannabis use?
Common questions
Can cannabis cause catatonia?
What is catatonia?
Read the original research
Recurrent cannabis-induced catatonia: a case report and comprehensive systematic literature review.
Frontiers in psychiatry, 15, 1332310
Citation
Moshfeghinia, Reza; Hosseinzadeh, Mehrnaz; Mostafavi, Sara; Jabbarinejad, Roxana; Malekpour, Mahdi; Chohedri, Elnaz; Ahmadi, Jamshid. (2024). Recurrent cannabis-induced catatonia: a case report and comprehensive systematic literature review.. Frontiers in psychiatry, 15, 1332310. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1332310
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