Drug-Induced Psychosis: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

Abstract

Introduction A relationship between drug abuse and the onset of psychotic symptoms is strongly supported. A struggling clinical dilemma is how to clearly identify a substance-induced psychosis from a primary psychotic illness or a psychotic illness with comorbid substance use. Objectives In this review, the presence of associated psychotic symptoms and the differences in clinical presentation will be analyzed for each substance. Methods Α bibliographical review was performed using the PubMED platform. All relevant articles were found using the keywords: substance-Induced Psychoses, symptoms, treatment Results Present review shows a picture of the complex relationship between psychotic symptoms and the use and abuse of illicit drugs. Furthermore, in most cases, chronological criteria are not sufficient to prove a direct causal effect between the substance and psychosis. The subjects who presented psychotic symptoms after substance abuse seemed to have a higher risk of the development of a primary psychotic illness. Conclusions Psychosis due to substance abuse is a common issue in clinical practice and the propensity to develop psychosis seems to be associated with the severity of use and dependence. Disclosure of Interest None Declared