Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T00:49:20.154Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Meditation – a two edged sword for psychosis: a case report

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 January 2016

P. Sharma ,
S. Singh ,
S. Gnanavel  and
N. Kumar
P. Sharma*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
S. Singh
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
S. Gnanavel
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
N. Kumar
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
*
*Address for correspondence: P. Sharma, Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi 110029, India. (Email: pawan60@gmail.com)
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Meditation is believed to have many health benefits apart from enhancing spiritual health. However, there is evidence that meditation may even lead to psychosis or worsen it in some cases. The aim of this paper is to present a case and discuss the role of meditation as a precipitating factor to psychosis. A 27-year-old male presented with psychotic symptoms with a temporal correlation with meditation. He was then successfully treated with antipsychotic medication and is maintaining well. This case report highlights the possibility that intense meditation could precipitate psychosis in vulnerable individuals. However, there are several beneficial effects of meditation in patients with psychosis if practiced with caution.

Keywords

Antipsychoticsmeditationpsychosis
Type
Case Report
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 33 , Issue 4 , December 2016 , pp. 247 - 249
Copyright
© College of Psychiatrists of Ireland 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Davis, DM, Hayes, JA (2011). What are the benefits of mindfulness? A practice review of psychotherapy-related research. Psychotherapy 48, 198–208.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Johnson, DP, Penn, DL, Fredrickson, BL, Meyer, PS, Kring, AM, Brantley, M (2009). Loving-kindness meditation to enhance recovery from negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Journal of Clinical Psychology 65, 499–509.Google Scholar
Khoury, B, Lecomte, T, Fortin, G, Masse, M, Therien, P, Bouchard, V, Chapleau, M-A, Paquin, K, Hofmann, SG (2013). Mindfulness-based therapy: a comprehensive meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review 33, 763–771.Google Scholar
Kiene, H, Hamre, HJ, Kienle, GS (2013). In support of clinical case reports: a system of causality assessment. Global Advances in Health and Medicine: Improving Healthcare Outcomes Worldwide 2, 64–75.Google Scholar
Kuijpers, HJH, van der Heijden, FMMA, Tuinier, S, Verhoeven, WMA (2007). Meditation-induced psychosis. Psychopathology 40, 461–464.Google Scholar
Lustyk, MKB, Chawla, N, Nolan, RS, Marlatt, GA (2009). Mindfulness meditation research: issues of participant screening, safety procedures, and researcher training. Advances in Mind-Body Medicine 24, 20–30.Google Scholar
Moritz, S, Cludius, B, Hottenrott, B, Schneider, BC, Saathoff, K, Kuelz, AK, Gallinat, J (2015). Mindfulness and relaxation treatment reduce depressive symptoms in individuals with psychosis. European Psychiatry 30, 709–714.Google Scholar
Nakaya, M, Ohmori, K (2010). Psychosis induced by spiritual practice and resolution of pre-morbid inner conflicts. German Journal of Psychiatry 13, 161–163.Google Scholar
Naranjo, CA, Busto, U, Sellers, EM, Sandor, P, Ruiz, I, Roberts, EA, Janecek, E, Domecq, C, Greenblatt, DJ (1981). A method for estimating the probability of adverse drug reactions. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics 30, 239–245.Google Scholar
Pérez-Álvarez, M, García-Montes, JM, Perona-Garcelán, S, Vallina-Fernández, O (2008). Changing relationship with voices: new therapeutic perspectives for treating hallucinations. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy 15, 75–85.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rubia, K (2009). The neurobiology of meditation and its clinical effectiveness in psychiatric disorders. Biological Psychology 82, 1–11.Google Scholar
Shapiro, DH (1994). Examining the content and context of meditation a challenge for psychology in the areas of stress management, psychotherapy, and religion/values. Journal of Humanistic Psychology 34, 101–135.Google Scholar
Shonin, E, Van Gordon, W, Griffiths, MD (2013). Mindfulness-based interventions: towards mindful clinical integration. Frontiers in Psychology 4, 194.Google Scholar
Shonin, E, Van Gordon, W, Griffiths, MD (2014). Do mindfulness-based therapies have a role in the treatment of psychosis? The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 48, 124–127.Google Scholar
Visceglia, E, Lewis, S (2011). Yoga therapy as an adjunctive treatment for schizophrenia: a randomized, controlled pilot study. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 17, 601–607.Google Scholar