Title:Characteristics of Amphetamine Psychosis with Respect to the Length of
Drug Exposure
Volume: 22
Issue: 4
Author(s): Anastasia Babina, Iryna Sokolova*Mykhailo Vysotskyi
Affiliation:
- Department of Practical Psychology, Ukrainian Engineering and Pedagogical Academy, Kharkiv, Ukraine
Keywords:
Amphetamine, schizophrenia, cognitive function, delusions, hallucinations, amphetamine psychosis.
Abstract:
Background: Over the past decade, the number of individuals requiring medical care for
amphetamine-related psychosis has increased.
Objective: This study aims to examine the psychological characteristics of amphetamine psychosis in
drug-addicted patients depending on the length of drug exposure and compared to patients diagnosed
with paranoid schizophrenia.
Methods: The study was carried out in psychiatric clinic No. 1 in Kyiv (Ukraine) in 2019, involving
107 patients. Of all the participants, 50 were included in Group 1 (methamphetamine psychosis) and
57 - in Group 2 (paranoid schizophrenia). All patients were treated with medication to relieve exacerbating
symptoms. They underwent extensive testing to determine the impairment severity of cognitive
function, attention, and task performance during remission.
Results: In Group 1, the timing of onset for paranoid symptoms depends on the length of amphetamine
exposure (Spearman correlation coefficient = 0.89). The efficacy and dynamics of drug treatment
in Group 2 were similar to patients in Group 1. However, the effect of reduction in Group 2 was
achieved only in 4 months. Delusions, emotional disturbances, hallucinations in patients of Group 1
occurred 2.3 times more frequently than in Group 2 (p ≤ 0.05). The patients of Group 1 are characterized
by the presence of disorders related to the affective and behavioral components.
Conclusion. All reported exacerbations are related to amphetamine use. Patients in Group 1 learned a
smaller number of words compared to those in Group 2. Besides, a large number of errors and difficulties
with shifting focus were recorded.
