When somebody has psychosis, they temporarily lose touch with reality and cannot differentiate between their thoughts and the actions of the outside world. Psychosis may exist independently or as a sign of another mental illness. Various drugs have been linked to the onset of psychosis, and Amphetamine psychosis is among the most prevalent forms of drug psychosis. Amphetamine psychosis, like other forms of chemical psychosis, tends to go away after the person stops using stimulants. Some symptoms, however, may linger even after stimulants have been eliminated from the body.
When psychotic symptoms arise in the environment of amphetamine use but cannot be attributed to any other factor, we speak about stimulant psychosis. Psychotic symptoms such as paranoia, hallucinations (sensory information), delusions, altered sense of perspective, and agitation are common among amphetamine users. Medication is the first line but short−term therapy for stimulant psychosis. However, this is frequently not enough. Long-term treatment for drug-induced psychotic, like other forms of drug−induced mental illness, entails additional psychotherapeutic procedures to address the fundamental substance use problem.
The symptoms of amphetamine psychosis might vary from person to person and from case to case due to genetics, co−occurring mental health disorders, and drug interactions. Common signs of amphetamine−induced psychosis include −
Amphetamine−induced delusion may be difficult to diagnose since its symptoms are analogous to other psychotic diseases like schizophrenia. However, physicians can sometimes tell whether a drug triggered a patient's psychotic episode by looking for subtle changes in their symptoms. In contrast to chemical psychosis, visual hallucinations are rather rare in schizophrenia. Unorganized speech is a typical characteristic of schizophrenia, although less probable in people with stimulant psychosis. Identifying amphetamine-induced psychosis may be challenging for doctors since its symptoms are similar to those of persistent psychotic diseases like schizophrenia.
There are occasions when physicians may tell whether a psychotic episode is drug−induced by looking for subtle variations in the patient's symptom profile. Visual hallucinations, for instance, are less prevalent in schizophrenia than in substance-induced psychosis. Amphetamine−induced psychosis is less likely to manifest the schizophrenia−associated symptoms of disordered speech and avolition. On the other hand, it is not always easy to spot these nuances. Initial misdiagnosis of schizophrenia or other persistent psychotic diseases is a risk for those displaying signs of amphetamine psychosis. Sometimes, the erroneous referral diagnosis might lead to someone being admitted for inpatient psychiatric care. When physicians treat these patients with antipsychotic medication, it may take longer for them to recover after learning that underlying psychotic symptoms were caused by substance abuse.
Management for amphetamine psychosis is often straightforward. Amphetamine psychosis often resolves on its own with time. About one to 4 days after stopping amphetamine usage, the worst indications of amphetamine separation psychosis often subside. In most cases, milder, longer−lasting symptoms may be handled at home safely.
Inpatient Treatment − During the acute stage of amphetamine psychosis, many patients need inpatient care due to the potentially life−threatening nature of the psychotic symptoms. Avoiding patients from acting on their delusions is a primary goal of many inpatient therapies. Additional withdrawal effects, such as heat, dehydration, or elevated blood pressure, may need extra medical attention for those undergoing acute amphetamine intoxication or withdrawal.
Drugs − Amphetamine psychosis may be treated using antipsychotic medications such as haloperidol and olanzapine, often used to treat the symptoms of psychotic and other chronic and congenital psychotic diseases. To calm anxious patients and treat or prevent seizures, benzodiazepines may be prescribed. However, many doctors are hesitant to prescribe these medications until required because of their risks.
Intervention − A drug addiction treatment facility prescription is often the most crucial part of the treatment approach for amphetamine psychosis. To commence the rehabilitation process, many persons whose amphetamine usage has reached the stage of psychosis need help.
Therapy − Stimulant illnesses are most effectively treated with psychotherapy. Among the most common forms of therapy is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which effectively decreases methamphetamine use. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) aims to help patients break destructive patterns of behavior by identifying and challenging underlying beliefs, attitudes, and emotions. It may be done by one person with the help of a therapist, by a group of people, or by one person by themselves with the help of a textbook.
Psychosis and worse long−term behavior outcomes are far more frequent among those who meet DSM−V criteria for serious stimulant use disorder, which amphetamines exacerbate. There are at least six genes linked to an increased risk of developing psychosis from using amphetamines, and the existence of these genes also predicts worse outcomes if psychosis does occur. Amphetamine use and the word sensitization, primed effect, and reverse tolerance can "unlock" a person's genetic susceptibility for organic psychotic diseases like bipolar disorder or schizophrenia.
Treatment of the fundamental stimulant use problem is the most successful long−term strategy for dealing with stimulant psychosis. Although various drugs have been researched for treating stimulant use problems, none have yet been authorized.