Psychotic depression with suicidality in the context of internet gaming disorder and chronic cannabis use.

Case reportBMJ case reports· Jul 2026

Psychotic depression with suicidality in the context of internet gaming disorder and chronic cannabis use.

Mirela Ćelić Ružić, Linda Rossini Gajšak, Darjan Svetinović, Marijana Knezović Florijan

Read paper

Mood DisordersCase reportQ4IF 0.4

Psychotic symptoms and suicidality remitted in 4 weeks with treatment.

Psychotic depression with suicidality in the context of internet gaming disorder and chronic cannabis use.

Mirela Ćelić Ružić … Marijana Knezović Florijan

BMJ case reports · Jul 2026 · Q4 in General Medicine

Background

A man in his 20s was admitted after a serious suicide attempt (hypnotic overdose) following months of severe depression and social withdrawal.

4

Results

4

weeks

delusions, paranoia, and thoughts of self-harm went away in this time

More results

In the preceding 2 weeks, after a 2-day forced break from gaming due to a brief, mild, self-limited illness during which COVID-19 testing was not performed and loss of in-game status, he developed derealisation and paranoid ideas that others were 'non-playable characters'.

More results

His history revealed compulsive online gaming (approximately 10 hours/day) and chronic cannabis use, and urine toxicology was positive for cannabis.

At follow-up, up to 3 months, clinical stability was maintained, urine toxicology was negative for cannabis and symptom measures improved.

“

Conclusion

This case illustrates a clinically important temporal and phenomenological association between severe depression, problematic gaming, cannabis use and psychotic decompensation while emphasising that causality cannot be inferred from a single case.

Psychotic depression with suicidality in the context of internet gaming disorder and chronic cannabis use.

Psychotic depression with suicidality in the context of internet gaming disorder and chronic cannabis use.

Related papers