Abstract
BackgroundKhat (Catha edulis) is a stimulant leaf khat comes from a tree which grows in countries bordering the Red Sea which are along the east coast of Africa and in west Asia. The psycho- active component within these leaves is cathinone. In Ethiopia, Khat is chewed routinely by users for its euphoric effects and as a recreational drug, and chewing khat has an important role as well in both traditional and religious ceremonies. In this case report, we describe the case of a 33-year-old male patient presented with psychotic symptoms after prolonged and heavy khat chewing.Case presentationFindings on psychiatric evaluation encompassing detailed history and mental state examination suggest khat induced psychotic disorder severe in full remission; khat use disorder, severe, in early remission.ConclusionsThis case demonstrates that the use of excess khat above 2 bundles for prolonged duration can manifest with psychotic episodes. A small number of case studies had supported a causal relationship between heavy khat use and psychosis or psychotic symptoms. There have been suicidal attempts and homicidal acts in those who used excess and prolonged use of khat. In our case, the improvement attributed to stopping the khat rather than taking antipsychotics.Therefore, we recommend an urgent social intervention to change the community norms regarding Khat use through psycho-education in media, institution and in person about the relationship between khat use and mental illness. In addition, we suggest the role of religious institutions on the management of khat use not be overlooked. Finally, this study makes a powerful argument for researchers and policy makers to do clinical study to settle a causal effect relation of khat on mental health.
Highlights
Khat (Catha edulis) is a stimulant leaf khat comes from a tree which grows in countries bordering the Red Sea which are along the east coast of Africa and in west Asia [1,2,3]
This study further show that khat use in Ethiopia is more prevalent in ethnic communities with a tradition of khat use but it is becoming an every-day drug for the general population [9, 10]
Some literature suggest that religiosity can help in the process of drug rehabilitation in the following ways: increases in optimism, the perception of social support, resilience, decreases in levels of stress and anxiety [1, 2, 16]. This case report, describe the case of a 33-year-old patient who presented with psychotic symptoms with no family psychiatric history which arise after prolonged and heavy khat chewing, and discuss the issues raised regarding the psychiatric manifestation, and the treatment implications for the illness
Summary
This case demonstrates that the use of excess khat above 2 bundles for prolonged duration can manifest with psychotic episodes. A small number of case studies had supported a causal relationship between heavy khat use and psychosis or psychotic symptoms. There have been suicidal attempts and homicidal acts in those who used excess and prolonged use of khat. The improvement attributed to stopping the khat rather than taking antipsychotics. We recommend an urgent social intervention to change the community norms regarding Khat use through psycho-education in media, institution and in person about the relationship between khat use and mental illness. We suggest the role of religious institutions on the management of khat use not be overlooked. This study makes a powerful argument for researchers and policy makers to do clinical study to settle a causal effect relation of khat on mental health
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
