Psychotic Disorders—Cocaine

Also called: Blow, C, Coca, Coke, Crack, Flake, Snow

Cocaine is a white powder. It can be snorted up the nose or mixed with water and injected with a needle. Cocaine can also be made into small white rocks, called crack. Crack is smoked in a small glass pipe.

Cocaine speeds up your whole body. You may feel full of energy, happy, and excited. But then your mood can change. You can become angry, nervous, and afraid that someone’s out to get you. You might do things that make no sense. After the “high” of the cocaine wears off, you can “crash” and feel tired and sad for days. You also get a strong craving to take the drug again to try to feel better.

No matter how cocaine is taken, it is dangerous. Some of the most common serious problems include heart attack and stroke. You are also at risk for HIV/AIDS and hepatitis, from sharing needles or having unsafe sex. Cocaine is more dangerous when combined with other drugs or alcohol.

It is easy to lose control over cocaine use and become addicted. Then, even if you get treatment, it can be hard to stay off the drug. People who stopped using cocaine can still feel strong cravings for the drug, sometimes even years later.

NIH: National Institute on Drug Abuse

• Cocaine withdrawal (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Substance use — cocaine (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Tips for Teens: The Truth about Cocaine (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) – PDF

Also called: Psychoses

Psychotic disorders are severe mental disorders that cause abnormal thinking and perceptions. People with psychoses lose touch with reality. Two of the main symptoms are delusions and hallucinations. Delusions are false beliefs, such as thinking that someone is plotting against you or that the TV is sending you secret messages. Hallucinations are false perceptions, such as hearing, seeing, or feeling something that is not there.

Schizophrenia is one type of psychotic disorder. People with bipolar disorder may also have psychotic symptoms. Other problems that can cause psychosis include alcohol and some drugs, brain tumors, brain infections, and stroke.

Treatment depends on the cause of the psychosis. It might involve drugs to control symptoms and talk therapy. Hospitalization is an option for serious cases where a person might be dangerous to himself or others.

• Brief psychotic disorder (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Hallucinations (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Major depression with psychotic features (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Mental status testing (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Psychosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Schizoaffective disorder (Medical Encyclopedia)