Man On 'Cannabis-Induced Psychosis' Amputates Own Penis

A man who got into a cannabis-induced psychosis ended up amputating his own penis, according to a new case study. This is not the first time that such a case has been reported.

The study, published in the Journal of Medical Case Reports, details the case of a 23-year-old man in Thailand who stopped using cannabis after two years. Three months later, he began smoking bongs equivalent to 2 grams of cannabis.

Two hours after usage, he reportedly had an erection even without sexual stimulation and experienced "severe persistent sharp pain" in his penis. He also noted that his glans "looked distorted." To relieve the pain, he trimmed the organ's skin "several times" and ended up "completely" amputating his penis.

According to the authors, the man was aware during the ordeal. The bleeding continued for two hours and he was eventually brought to a hospital where the bleeding was controlled. Doctors found that what remained was a penile stump that was 2 centimeters in length. Unfortunately, they could not reattach the amputated organ anymore as it was deemed "too dirty and fragile" and was even "contaminated with ants."

The patient was subjected to a psychiatric evaluation. He did not report other substance abuse, alcohol consumption, previous incidence of self-harm or any depressed mood or manic symptoms. He also did not have a history of psychiatric treatment nor a family history of psychosis. The psychiatrist diagnosed him with substance-induced psychosis.

"In this patient, the diagnosis of substance-induced psychotic disorder could be made as his symptoms began after cannabis use, without evidence of other substance abuse," the authors wrote.

He may also have had a history of priapism or the condition in which a person experiences erections for at least four hours even without sexual stimulation. However, doctors could not properly diagnose him as he had cut off the organ before the erection could last four hours.

The man remained at the hospital for two weeks, the authors noted. After his admission and the discontinuation of cannabis, the delusions and hallucinations previously observed during the mental status evaluations "subsided."

According to the study's authors, there have been "hundreds of cases" of male genital self-mutilation resulting from a psychiatric disorder or substance-induced psychosis in the last two decades alone. In 2012, for instance, another team of researchers reported the case of a 35-year-old man who self-mutilated his penis. The said incident was also related to his cannabis dependence for years.

"Self-amputation of the penis due to cannabis-induced psychosis, as in our patient, is a devastating event that interferes with the quality of life, such as urination dysfunction or sexual function," the authors wrote.

"Aside from its therapeutic benefits, cannabis exhibits many adverse effects. Psychosis is one of the potentially harmful effects of cannabis," they added.