Am I mental? In search of information on drug induced psychosis – by “Soul Traveler”
Posted In: Alcohol, Prescription Drugs, Psychedelics, Research
Comments: 4 Responses
Dear KnowDrugs.net,
As someone who condones psychedelics, I am concerned that I might be considered a proponent for people using drugs irresponsibly and finding themselves in a psychiatric hospital on (prescribed) anti-psychotics and diagnosed with ‘mental-illness’. So I’m interested to know more about which drugs are the main culprits for causing psychosis. However, I’m having difficulty getting this information and am hoping you can help.
A bit about me; I’m a 33 year old university educated (Bachelor of Psychology) and have studied several other subjects (yoga, energy healing, meditation, theology, tarot). Early in my twenties I became depressed as I began to discover the drab and monotonous realities of our Western society. My first drug was cannabis, soon after I experimented with ecstasy. After these drug experiences I began to feel connected to my own body for the first time, but also to the tribe and culture of the underground electronic music scene. Soon after I tried LSD and magic mushrooms for the first time in my life. These substances really blew my mind – they opened me up to the existence of ‘the other’. I had encounters with nature spirits and started to feel connected to the whole. I no longer feared death and started to open up to my spiritual side. Following this transition through psychedelics I began my studies of meditation which lead to a more meaningful and disciplined life. Eventually, I was inspired to go back to university, where to my surprise, I felt more engaged to my studies, and I was able to complete my degree with better results.
Admittedly, for a time there I was very wild and irresponsible, but these days I feel much more balanced, and I have a deep understanding of my connection to the world and of spirituality. In the last couple of years I tried DMT for the first time. My DMT trip was incredible; I didn’t expect it to be so vivid. The experience hangs vividly in my mind to this day, and it has imparted a wordless wisdom to my life which has permeated my meditations, dreams and waking life.
Over the years I met many interesting people through the psychedelic trance scene. Most of the other ‘trippers’ that I met, while they were undoubtedly eccentric individuals, were very switched on people who were connected to a greater sense of existence like me, but also had good self-knowledge and a strong connection to nature. However, in the scene, there was often the odd one or two who displayed socially unacceptable behaviour and/or had ‘lost contact with reality’. They were never what I’d call dangerous people; they were just more outside the norm and had some difficulty being congruous participants of our civilised society.
This brings me to a central question I have about psychosis and mental illness: Are these people suffering from illness or do they perhaps perceive and interpret reality differently to the rest of us? Are they out of sync with us? Or is it us that are out of sync with them?
While psychedelic drugs tend to get all the press as triggers of psychosis, some web based research threw up a few surprises:
1. I’ve found out that alcohol is also a trigger for psychosis (along with cannabis and amphetamines)
2. Some pharmaceuticals are also triggers (i.e. anti-depressants, anti-anxiety, cold and flu tabs, and even some anti-psychotics themselves!)
So what I’m really interested in, is a chart that plots the incidence of hospitalisations for psychosis against the known factors and/or substances that were identified as triggering the episode (expressed as a percentage). Does this research exist? Can anyone help?
It seems to me that the common view in society is that drugs are prohibited because they make people crazy. But there seems to be a strong lack of evidence to support this argument. Perhaps some of the more well-versed members of the KnowDrugs.net community can help me to shed some more light on this subject? I believe it would be useful to actually understand the reality of how these substances affect people before we continue to draw conclusions that aren’t based on any concrete evidence.
Yours faithfully,
Soul Traveler,
Australia.
P.S. You can download some interesting research on psychosis at this link.
It was only when I gave up drinking, that I had done heavily for tens of years, that I finally had a psychotic break – on the natch. I think my alcohol consumption had suppressed this natural healing that was supposed to take place sooner in my life. I feel that my over indulgence in my teens and twenties blunted me and stopped me having to deal with life in any real way. I may still be suffering from a case of arrested development.
Hi,
In 2008 I was diagnosed (later it seems misdiagnosed) with Bipolar 2 Disorder. I spent 3 years on prescribed medication; SSRI’s anti this and anti that and 2008 saw me blow tens of thousands on credit cards, buying cars losing my family for 5 months and trying to get engaged to my first love through Facebook. Those drugs made me psychotic and I believe there is a figure of 15% for patients on anti-psychotics to BECOME psychotic. That was me . . . now I’ve stopped taking everything 7 months ago and I am tickety boo. I have sworn an oath that I will never ever take another prescription pill ever again. Subsequently I am now training in Hypnotherapy, Counselling, EMDR and EFT because this is what heals . . .not a damn Doctor seeing for 5 minutes and whacking you on some newly licenced drug from the States.
Love and light,
Andy.
I believe that many people with psychic gifts are being diagnosed as having some sort of psychotic problem. There are many people going through a spiritual awakening and part of this is psychic abilities opening up. You can even check this out on YouTube; symptoms of spiritual awakening…
I had gone through my own psychic awakening and was also placed in a hospital because I didn’t realize what was really going on. I have always had a bit of psychic ability but never a connection to others via telepathy.
You will also be interested in knowing that a “schizophrenic” person that is living in an indian tribe will be grabbed by the Shaman of that tribe and soon be a Shaman himself. There are people that are able to see into other realities and if they do not have a teacher they can become overwhelmed.
I need to state that “Psychology” does NOT have any understanding of psychic abilities nor a way to help those that have such abilities. I am sure there are many people in the horrible mental wards that are just psychic. The anti-psychotic medications are the last thing these people need because it will blow the psychic abilities way off balance.
I hope this helped answer your question about “mental illness”. That is only a very misused label for someone that isn’t “average”. I have always been eccentric and highly intellectual, most people see me as odd or weird but I would not change that if I could. I’m happy being different the the rest of the people that live their lives as if they are a machine in a systematic mechanism called life…
Live with Love and follow thy heart!
You are as young as your mind is open.
groove on,
EkKentros
I’ve been classified Autistic since my childhood days in the 90s. Much of the world had remained close to me, with lack of speech and an incitive for repetition. Despite this, I knew this was a problem and had always wanted to know the answer. My first psilocybin trip taught me where true heart and thought came from. My belief system changed overnight and my mind was free from past and future.
When drugs are involved, there is no need for illusion or missing truth to protect corporate interests. When we can’t see it, people are always going to find a way through. Inner flow always stays strong and connects us all.