An Austrian man reportedly severed his own penis with an ax after ingesting a large amount of psychedelic mushrooms.
Fortunately, Austrian doctors were able to reattach the severed organs.
The patient’s shocking story is the first of its kind, and is now detailed in the Mega Journal of Surgery, according to PsyPost.org.
The 37-year-old man was reportedly suffering from depression and alcohol abuse at the time of his psychotic break.
Psilocybin is a natural compound found in so-called “magic” mushrooms that has the power to induce hallucinatory states in humans when ingested. It works by changing the serotonin receptors in the brain, altering sensations and heightening emotions. Throughout history, some indigenous cultures have used this drug in spiritual ceremonies to bring enlightenment to mentally ill people.
Recently, mainstream medicine has focused on the therapeutic effects of psilocybin mushrooms, with the use of psilocybin mushrooms to treat patients experiencing psychological distress such as depression, anxiety, addiction, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research shows it may help.
However, the patients involved in a shocking new report found no such relief even after using the substance unsupervised to treat worsening mental health conditions.
This is the first documented case of Klingsoll syndrome associated with psilocybin, in which a psychologically impaired person harms his or her genitals.
Doctors at Austria’s Feldkirch Hospital wrote that the patient, who was alone in his villa at the time, had a brief psychotic episode in which he ate four to five dried mushrooms and used an ax to cut his penis into multiple pieces. . .
Later, he was found by townspeople as he wandered from his home in search of help. He arrived at the nearest hospital in critical condition about five hours after the horrific incident.
The flamboyant scene showed medical experts that the man had wrapped a cloth around his penis to cut off blood flow and tried to place the remaining organs in a jar filled with snow.
Doctors carefully cleaned the severed organ, which had been contaminated with dirt and snow, and were able to repair the tip and about 2 inches of the shaft. Other parts were too damaged to be reinstalled.
The patient had no complete recollection of the nightmarish event.
Immediately after the surgery, the man was placed under the care of a psychiatric specialist and continued to suffer from psychotic episodes for about a week. Afterwards, he continued his recovery at a urology clinic.
Complications such as necrosis (death of skin tissue) occurred, but resolved over time. Within a few months of the surgery, he also regained erectile and urinary function.
