Meditation-Induced Psychosis

Author: Kuijpers HJ, van der Heijden FM, Tuinier S, Verhoeven WM
Affiliation: Vincent van Gogh Institute for Psychiatry, Venray, The Netherlands
Conference/Journal: Psychopathology
Date published: 2007
Other: Volume ID: 40 , Issue ID: 6 , Pages: 461-464 , Word Count: 144


Background:Meditation is a self-regulatory psychological strategy that is frequently applied in Western as well as non-Western countries for different purposes; little is known about adverse events. Sampling and Methods: A male patient is described who developed an acute and transient psychosis with polymorphic symptomatology after meditating. A literature search for psychotic states related to meditation was carried out on PubMed, Embase and PsycInfo. Results: In the case presented a diagnosis of acute polymorphic psychotic disorder was made. Other case reports dealt with either a relapse of a pre-existent psychotic disorder or with a brief psychotic reaction in patients without a psychiatric history. Conclusion:Meditation can act as a stressor in vulnerable patients who may develop a transient psychosis with polymorphic symptomatology. The syndrome is not culture bound but sometimes classified in culture-bound taxonomies like Qi-gong Psychotic Reaction. Copyright (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.