Can Drugs Trigger Mental Illness?
Can Drugs Trigger Mental Illness?
⬆️⬇️Overall, substance-induced disorder symptoms are predictable given the teeter-totter principle: what goes up must come down. Stimulant withdrawal causes depressive symptoms, while depressant withdrawal causes hyperactivity. Extended use of a drug will alter the brain balance and result in substance-induced disorders🧠
💊Drugs create their effects by altering brain chemistry. With increased research on the effects of drugs, studies are finding how repeated drug-use may be implicated in the development of mental illnesses among consistent or heavy users🔬
🌬Cocaine acts on the brain by increasing the release of neurotransmitters essential for regulating pleasure, alertness, mood, and appetite. When Cocaine is used repeatedly - as many users do, due to how highly addictive cocaine is - the brain loses its reservoir of these essential brain chemicals. As a result, paranoia is reported in 68-84% of cocaine users😨
🍁The connection between cannabis and schizophrenia still has much to be learned about. Studying the brain, researchers found that cannabis itself does not alter brain structure, but does cause increases in blood flow. It still remains uncertain if this activity change is linked to schizophrenia. However, compared to non-users, chronic cannabis users, who started before age 18, are found to be 6x more likely to develop schizophrenia and 4x more likely to develop psychosis📈
💉Using the stimulant Methamphetamine (Meth) can lead to Meth-Associated Psychosis or MAP. The symptoms of MAP resemble paranoia and schizophrenia and are more likely to occur in users predisposed to mental illness🧠
🍄Users of hallucinogens, such as LSD or mushrooms, sometimes report experiencing persisting perceptual disorder. Long after using the hallucinogen, they report experiencing flashbacks to the visual effects 🌈
👅Hallucinogenic substances can also sometimes induce a “bad trip,” depending on the set and setting. Some people may experience exacerbations of preexisting mental disorders, potentially leading to psychotic reactions or a psychotic state that remains after the hallucinogen has worn off😖
