Blood addiction, 5 ‘Vampires’ reach hospital:Deadly ‘Blood Kick’ craze grips Bhopal youth, bizarre addiction on rise; doctors warn of serious health risks

Inspired by pop culture portrayals like Interview with the Vampire, the idea of humans consuming blood may seem fictional, but psychiatrists say a disturbing trend is emerging in reality. At the psychiatry department of Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal, 5 young men have sought treatment between January and April 2026 for addiction to blood components. In all cases, a similar pattern was observed. After discovering the behaviour, families confined the youths at home and attempted counselling for a few days to a week. However, when the individuals turned aggressive and violent, they were taken to psychiatrists for professional help. All five patients fall in the 18–25 age group. Preliminary case studies suggest that curiosity, misconceptions, and possible links to illegal networks are key factors driving this addiction. The study, however, is still ongoing. Using blood like intoxication According to Dr. JP Agarwal, Head of the Psychiatry Department, cases related to using blood-like intoxication are going viral on social media. This is the result of young people’s tendency to do something new without thinking. They forget to differentiate between right and wrong. Dr. Agarwal says that this is not like traditional intoxication, but a dangerous experiment. Some youth try to feel a ‘different kind of effect’ by injecting blood plasma or other components. However, there is no evidence in medical science that blood causes intoxication. This is completely a myth and risky behavior. New for India, many such cases abroad According to Dr. Agrawal, using blood or its components as an intoxicant is not a normal or safe practice, but rather a dangerous and wrong tendency. Generally, “blood doping” has been used in sports to enhance performance. Now this tendency is being observed among common people. In blood doping, synthetic oxygen carriers, blood transfusions, and erythropoietin (EPO) are the three most common methods. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has banned all three of these. Now know, those 5 cases of Bhopal