Substance-induced psychotic symptoms

Abstract

Psychosis can be brought on by a number of different substances such as alcohol, cannabis, sedatives, cocaine, stimulants, and hallucinogens. For some substances the psychosis is predominant in the acute phase (cannabis, cocaine, stimulants, and hallucinogens), but for others the withdrawal phase infers the heightened risk (alcohol and sedatives). Some drugs may also increase the risk of longer lasting psychotic disorders (cannabis and central stimulants), but it remains an area of dispute whether these drugs cause the primary psychosis or whether they precipitate psychosis in individuals who are already vulnerable. This chapter reviews the literature on this topic and gives advice on the treatment of acute and prolonged psychotic illness in relationship to drug use, including delirium tremens caused by withdrawal from alcohol or sedatives.