Psychosis describes a set of psychological symptoms that reflect a loss of contact with reality; it arises from a variety of causes. Approximately 2% of people will have an episode of psychosis in their lifetime; however, around half of these will not have further episodes. The peak age of onset in men is in late adolescence or early 20s, and for women between late 20s and early 30s. Detailed assessment is needed to establish the cause. This article will focus on psychotic episodes associated with drug use and include presentation, diagnosis and management. Drug induced psychosis is challenging to manage, with a high incidence of relapse, self-harm and suicide.
Archinigas (2015)
Psychosis. Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry21(3): 715–736. DOI: 10.1212/01.CON.0000466662.89908.e7.
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HamSKimTChungS, et al. (2017)
Drug abuse and psychosis: New insights into drug induced psychosis. Experimental Neurobiology26(1): L 11–24. DOI: 10.5607/en.2017.26.1.11
