science

Substance-induced psychosis

Substance-induced psychosis is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Substance-induced psychosis rather than just read about it. In short: Substance-induced psychosis (commonly known as toxic psychosis or drug-induced psychosis) is a form of psychosis that is attributed to substance intoxication, withdrawal or recent consumption of psychoactive drugs. It is a psychosis that results from the effects of various substances, such as medicinal and nonmedicinal substances, legal and illegal drugs, chemicals, and plants.

Key takeaways

Substance-induced psychosis belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Substance-induced psychosis to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Substance-induced psychosis from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Substance-induced psychosis (commonly known as toxic psychosis or drug-induced psychosis) is a form of psychosis that is attributed to substance intoxication, withdrawal or recent consumption of psychoactive drugs. It is a psychosis that results from the effects of various substances, such as medicinal and nonmedicinal substances, legal and illegal drugs, chemicals, and plants. Various psychoactive substances have been implicated in causing or worsening psychosis in users.

Signs and symptoms Substance-induced psychosis (SIP) often manifests as disorientation, paranoid delusions, visual hallucinations and/or tactile hallucinations. It is a state in which a person's mental capacity to recognize reality, communicate, and relate to others is impaired, thus interfering with the capacity to deal with life's demands. While there are many types of psychosis, the cause of substance-induced psychosis can be pinpointed to intake of specific chemicals. To properly diagnose Substance-Induced Psychotic Disorder, one must conclude that exhibited hallucinations or delusions began during intoxication, withdrawal, or within a month after use of the substance and the symptoms are not related to a non-substance-induced psychotic disorder.

Treatment Because substance-induced psychosis results from the consumption of a substance or combination of substances, treatment practices heavily rely on detoxification and discontinuation of the substance(s). Detox and addiction treatment centers may often provide rehabilitation programs, including inpatient and outpatient treatment options, support groups, and extended treatment plans. Substance-induced psychosis may persist for hours, days, or weeks, but typically resolves within a month of sobriety. Treating psychosis involves a very thorough evaluation, including medical history, family background, symptoms, and other potential causes. Treatment prioritizes emergent symptoms, evaluates for underlying mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, and focuses on behavioral and preventative measures against substance use.

Medication

Antipsychotic medications are recommended to be used to treat substance-induced psychosis (SIP). Haloperidol, a first-generation, or typical antipsychotic, is frequently administered in emergency departments with good results. Patients are often switched to an atypical antipsychotic such as aripiprazole, quetiapine, olanzapine, or risperidone for maintenance therapy. Atypical antipsychotics, otherwise known as second and third-generation antipsychotics, are specifically recommended to be used for psychedelic-induced psychosis. Third-generation antipsychotics that are used to treat substance-induced psychosis include aripiprazole, brexpiprazole, cariprazine, and lurasidone. Third-generation antipsychotics are distinguished for their improved tolerability and side effect profile compared to second and first-generation antipsychotics.

Substance use and schizophrenia Rates of drug use amongst people with schizophrenia are higher than the general population; 50% of those diagnosed with schizophrenia use substances over their life. There is a model that suggests this arises because those with schizophrenia self-medicate with psychoactive drugs.

Transition to schizophrenia A 2019 systematic review and meta-analysis found that 25% (18–38%) of people diagnosed with substance-induced psychosis went on to be diagnosed with schizophrenia, compared with 36% (30–43%) for brief, atypical and not otherwise specified psychoses. The substance present was the primary predictor of transition from drug-induced psychosis to schizophrenia, with highest rates associated with cannabis (34% (25–46%)), hallucinogens (26% (14–43%)) and amphetamines (22% (14–34%)). Lower rates were reported for opioid– (12% (8–18%)), alcohol– (9% (6–15%)) and sedative– (10% (7–15%)) induced psychoses. Transition rates were slightly lower in older cohorts but were not affected by sex, country of the study, hospital or community location, urban or rural setting, diagnostic methods, or duration of follow-up.

Substances Psychotic states may occur after using a variety of legal and illegal substances. Substances whose use or withdrawal is implicated in psychosis include the following:

International Classification of Diseases Psychoactive substance-induced psychotic disorders outlined within the ICD-10 codes F10.5—F19.5:

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Substance-induced psychosis

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Substance-induced psychosis claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Substance-induced psychosis before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Substance-induced psychosis ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Substance-induced psychosis

In research: Substance-induced psychosis appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Substance-induced psychosis in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Substance-induced psychosis is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Psychosis, Substance-related disorders, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Substance-induced psychosis outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Substance-induced psychosis in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Substance-induced psychosis means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Substance-induced psychosis out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Substance-induced psychosis in simple terms?

Why does Substance-induced psychosis matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Substance-induced psychosis?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Substance-induced psychosis.