CAN USING DRUGS MAKE ME "SCHIZOPHRENIC" ???

Hello friends,
                      Everybody knows that using drugs can be dangerous. But a lot of people use them occasionally to have fun. But can using drugs make one schizophrenic?

          Well first things first. There is a slight technical difference between what is called schizophrenia and what is called psychosis. But we will not go into those academic details here. For the purposes of this discussion, shall we say that does use of drugs make one crazy, especially for a long duration or permanently? Everyone knows that for brief periods of time drugs can alter your senses, but permanently?

A number of drugs can produce delusions and hallucinations (psychotic symptoms). They include cannabis, amphetamines, ketamine, LSD, cocaine, phencyclidine and so on. These symptoms are temporary. But many of these can cause long lasting changes too.

Cannabis is the best known among these. Cannabis is available in various forms and referred to by various names - weed, marijuana, bhang, ganja, charas, hashih, sulfa etc. Besides psychotic symptoms that are transient, cannabis can also produce long lasting psychotic symptoms that continue long after cannabis use has been stopped. Academic debate exists as to whether cannabis precipitates a disorder for which a person was inherently vulnerable, or, a disorder has been produced de novo. However, for practical purposes it is often not known as to who is vulnerable and who is not.

So if you have been using cannabis for a bit too long, time to take a second look at yourself and where you are going!

What about the other drugs? They too can produce similar effects, but the evidence for continued symptoms after stopping the drugs is less compelling, although can't be ruled out. A peculiar kind of problem is associated with hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD - flashbacks; involuntary, brief spells of re-experiencing the drug's effects, often perceived as undesirable, long after drug use has ceased.

     Another interesting fact that you might want to know: Scientists conducting research on animal models of schizophrenia actually use animals that have been exposed to methamphetamine or ketamine; Because it produces a remarkably similar version of human schizophrenia (catatonic schizophrenia) in them! Well that tells a lot about these drugs, doesn't it?

The bottom line:

Many of these drugs have unpredictable effects. It is not possible to ascertain beforehand which individual is vulnerable and which individual is not. Many a time, the damage may persist even if one later decides to stop use of the offending drug. At other times, deficits accumulate gradually, escaping detection until it is too late! So keep away from them and stay safe!!

So this was what I had to share with you this time around friends. Hope it was useful!

Please let me know if there is any specific issue that you want me to address. Write in at stayhappy.prakash@gmail.com

So until next time, STAY HAPPY!

Dr. Sathya Prakash, MD, Dip. CBT

Consultant Psychiatrist, Psychotherapist and Behavioural Sciences Expert

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