A Study of the Phenomenology of Psychosis Induced by Methamphetamine: A Preliminary Research

BACKGROUND: Psychotic disorder due to industrial drug, such as methamphetamine addiction, is one of the important causes for referral to psychiatric hospital. Psychotic symptoms in these patients are varied. A group of researchers believe that methamphetamine-induced psychosis is completely similar to schizophrenia. Others believe that at least some cases of permanent psychotic clinical manifestation due to methamphetamine abuse are different from schizophrenia. In the present study, the existence of differences between psychotic symptoms caused by methamphetamine addiction and schizophrenia is investigated. METHODS: This study was a qualitative study. Patients with psychosis due to methamphetamine addiction were selected from among patients who were hospitalized in hospitals of the Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Iran. All patients were interviewed using unstructured interview based on self- reporting. Interviews were recorded and reviewed later. FINDINGS: Based on clinical observations, some of the patients with psychotic disorder due to methamphetamine showed rare symptoms that had been mostly reported in psychosis due to organic disorders and some of them showed symptoms that had not been reported before. CONCLUSION: This study showed that in a group of patients with methamphetamine-induced psychosis, clinical manifestation is different from schizophrenia.