MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS: Psychoses can be caused by drugs

Recently, we were asked to explain if it is possible for psychotic
symptoms to be brought on by drugs.

The simple answer is "yes" but like most things in life, nothing is simple.

First, we should explain the most common psychotic symptoms are
hallucinations and delusions.

Hallucinations can arise in any of your five senses - sight, hearing,
touch, taste and smell.

A hallucination occurs when you experience something with one of your
senses that is not actually there; for example, you hear voices, you
see people or things, you feel something on your skin, you smell
something no one else does or you taste something not present.

A delusion, on the other hand, is a strong and persistent belief that
something is true even when there is powerful evidence that says it
is not true, or when the belief is completely impossible.

If a pilot believes he can fly, that belief is delusional if he
thinks he does not need the plane to make flight happen.

Now, back to the question: Can drugs cause delusions and hallucinations?

Yes and it would seem that this is possible with pesticides,
chemicals, medications as well as illicit drugs.

There are two sub-types of drug-caused psychosis, depending on
whether the symptoms arose when the person was high or if their
symptoms arose during withdrawal from the substance - and, in some
cases, that can be a few weeks after taking the drug.

In regards to medications, this is one important reason never to take
more than what is prescribed, never give a drug prescribed for one
person to anyone else and always pay attention to the effect a
medication has and report unusual reactions to your physician.

The serious drug-induced psychoses come from taking too much of a
substance, like alcohol, crystal meth, cocaine, marijuana and many more.

Different body chemistries, metabolism rates and individual
sensitivities can cause a psychotic reaction in one person, but not
in another using the same drug.

Often, street drugs are contaminated with other chemicals that cause
psychotic symptoms.

And, as if you parents are not frightened enough, these substances
cause psychotic reactions because of the direct impact on a person's
brain - and damage to brain cells is not easy to recover from.

We should put this in perspective: The same teen who wears a helmet
to protect his brain when he or she goes out to skateboard or cycle
is much more likely to damage their brain with substance abuse.

That is also true for adults, by the way - and here is something else
to remember: Child and youth psychiatrist Dr. Jean Clinton told a
Kamloops audience in February that a person's brain continues to
develop until they are 24 - and alcohol or drugs taken when a brain
is developing is particularly dangerous.

If you believe you or someone you know is experiencing psychotic
symptoms, see a doctor right away.

The sooner your condition is diagnosed and treated, the better the
chances of a full recovery.

Thank you for your questions and for reading Mental Health Matters.
If you have comments or questions for us, send them to
kamloops@cmha.bc.ca and one may end up as the topic of choice next week.