Psychiatric aspects of mass datura poisoning

Datura is a poisonous plant, leading to the anticholinergic toxicity of the plant. After attending a marriage celebration, fifty individuals were hospitalized with acute onset of giddiness, blurred vision, excessive sweating, headaches, feeling hot, fearfulness, and dry mouth. Physical examination revealed a flushed appearance, tachycardia, conjunctival congestion, mydriasis, and urinary retention. Anticholinergic poisoning was suspected, and psychiatric consultations revealed that most patients were anxious and fearful with slightly increased psychomotor activity, with 64% exhibiting ataxia, 52% disoriented, and 20% experiencing visual hallucinations. Symptomatic treatment included hydration, short-acting benzodiazepines, and bedside psychiatric counseling, with which all recovered within 2 days. Various psychiatric aspects of diagnosis and management are discussed.