Synonyms in a broader sense
Drug-induced psychosis, colloquially: “getting stuck
Introduction
Drug psychosis is a loss of reference to reality caused by intoxicants, which outlasts the actual effect of the intoxication and in the worst case remains permanent. Drug psychosis can manifest itself with all the symptoms of non-drug-induced schizophrenia (see schizophrenia), such as optical and acoustic delusions, mental disorders or delusions. Under certain circumstances, even the single use of a drug can trigger a psychosis, but even after long-term, “routine” abuse, a drug psychosis can “reappear”.
The cornerstone of the treatment is the renunciation of triggering substances; furthermore, the therapy is similar to that of a non-drug-induced psychosis. The course and prognosis of drug psychosis varies from case to case and is hardly predictable. A psychotic episode that has already been overcome can be brought on again by the renewed use of triggering substances.
How drug psychosis ultimately develops is not yet fully understood. It is assumed that various intoxicants have a triggering effect on a subliminal predisposition to psychotic disorders. It is a fact that a large number of legal and illegal drugs (e.g. ecstasy) are capable of causing a psychosis that goes beyond their own intoxication. Drug-induced psychosis can occur both after long-term abuse and after single use.
Symptoms
A drug psychosis can manifest itself with all the symptoms of a non-drug-induced schizophrenic psychosis (see schizophrenia). These include delusions, mental disorders or delusional perceptions of images or sounds. To what extent certain substances cause characteristic symptoms is not clear. As with other psychoses, the alienation from reality of those affected can go so far that it becomes impossible for them to cope with everyday life on their own and they are dependent on long-term care.
Diagnostics
Recognizing a psychotic disorder as drug-induced is not always easy in practice, as drug use is sometimes concealed, although it is sometimes difficult to prove. A blood test can be used for laboratory medical detection of suspected substances. The differentiation of other mental disorders that can occur in connection with the use of narcotics is of differential diagnostic importance. These include the drug effect itself, delirium (acute agitation with simultaneous clouding of consciousness), withdrawal symptoms and “flashbacks” (reverberation effect of some drugs, sudden recurrence of an intoxicated state after a long period of abstinence from use).
