title: Meditation-induced psychosis.
abstract: 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.
  
  
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Vincent van Gogh Institute for Psychiatry, Venray, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: H J H
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kuijpers
authors.forename: F M M A
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: van der Heijden
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tuinier
authors.forename: W M A
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Verhoeven
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019122:Meditation / Q000523:psychology*; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D013577:Syndrome