Psychotic Disorders—Drug Abuse

Also called: Substance abuse

Drug abuse is a serious public health problem that affects almost every community and family in some way. Each year drug abuse causes millions of serious illnesses or injuries among Americans. Abused drugs include

• Methamphetamine
• Anabolic steroids
• Club drugs
• Cocaine
• Heroin
• Inhalants
• Marijuana
• Prescription drugs, including opioids

Drug abuse also plays a role in many major social problems, such as drugged driving, violence, stress, and child abuse. Drug abuse can lead to homelessness, crime, and missed work or problems with keeping a job. It harms unborn babies and destroys families. There are different types of treatment for drug abuse. But the best is to prevent drug abuse in the first place.

NIH: National Institute on Drug Abuse

• Drug abuse (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Drug dependence (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Toxicology screen (Medical Encyclopedia)

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)