woman showing signs and symptoms of a drug-induced psychosis

Signs and Symptoms of a Drug-Induced Psychosis

by with No Comment AddictionDrug OverdoseMental health

The signs and symptoms of a drug-induced psychosis can be scary to experience or witness. If you notice these signs in a loved one, it is imperative to get them medical treatment immediately. A drug-induced psychosis could be a warning sign of an overdose or a symptom of an underlying mental health disorder.

Sober living homes and outpatient rehab can help you after you get treatment following a drug-induced psychotic episode. Creekside Recovery Residences is here to help you get back on track.

What Is a Drug-Induced Psychosis?

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) defines psychosis as “a collection of symptoms that affect the mind, where there has been some loss of contact with reality.” Furthermore, NIMH states that psychosis causes disruptions to thoughts and perceptions. In addition, a person will struggle to recognize what is and isn’t real.

A drug-induced psychosis means that drug or alcohol abuse is the cause of a psychotic episode. Drug-induced psychoses are typically episodic, meaning that they are only temporary. However, in some cases, the person could have long-term psychosis, which may indicate an underlying mental health disorder. During psychosis, a person will have hallucinations, delusions, or both.

What Are Hallucinations and Delusions?

Hallucinations and delusions are the primary symptoms of a psychotic episode:

  • Hallucinations are bodily sensations or perceptions that aren’t real. These can include all senses—sight, touch, taste, hearing, or smell. For example, a person might see people who aren’t there or hear voices that sound like they come from another person.
  • Delusions are unshakable beliefs that are not true. These beliefs can include feeling persecuted and believing oneself to have powers.

It is important to remember that these perceptions and beliefs feel real for the person experiencing psychosis. They won’t be able to just “snap out of it” and will struggle to understand that others don’t share the same experience of reality.

How to Recognize a Drug-Induced Psychosis

A drug-induced psychosis causes tell-tale behaviors like outbursts and incoherent speech. Moreover, symptoms of a drug-induced psychosis will gradually worsen—especially if the person continues using or drinking despite these symptoms.

Signs and symptoms of a drug-induced psychosis include:

  • Suspicious or paranoid thoughts
  • Difficulty thinking logically
  • Overly intense thoughts and beliefs
  • Bizarre feelings or even a lack of feelings
  • Agitation and hostility
  • Confusing, rambling speech
  • Seeing, feeling, hearing, smelling, or tasting things that aren’t there
  • Appearing manic and restless
  • Mood swings
  • Anxiety and excessive nervousness
  • Insomnia

Overall, the person will not appear like themselves. For instance, a person who is normally calm might become increasingly agitated. They might become intensely jealous, hostile, or fear that others are out to get them.

If you notice these signs in a loved one, get them medical help immediately. They are at a high risk of harming themselves or others. They could also unintentionally upset others, who might harm them as a result.

What Causes a Drug-Induced Psychosis?

Drug-induced psychoses occur as a result of excessive drug or alcohol use. They could also be caused by underlying mental health disorders, such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder. Severe depression could also cause psychotic symptoms that increase under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Some drugs are more likely to cause drug-induced psychoses, including:

  • LSD
  • Methamphetamine
  • Cocaine
  • Cannabis
  • Ecstasy
  • MDMA
  • PCP

Alcohol and prescription medications like benzodiazepines could also cause drug-induced psychoses. Sometimes, psychoses occur during drug detox as the person goes through withdrawal. This could be the case during severe alcohol withdrawal if the person has symptoms called delirium tremens.

Overall, the cause is either the hallucinogenic effects of the drug itself, underlying symptoms of a mental health disorder, or taking a dangerous amount of a particular substance.

How Is a Drug-Induced Psychosis Treated?

First, a person needs stabilization services to treat a drug-induced psychosis. Most often, they will be taken to an emergency room for safety and possibly to treat a drug overdose.

From there, they could remain inpatient at a hospital’s psychiatric unit for further observation of symptoms. It is critical at this time to determine if the person has an underlying mental health condition at the root of their psychosis. Regardless of the cause, the person will need substance use treatment to prevent drug-induced psychosis and other issues from recurring.

Long-term treatment for drug-induced psychosis could include the following:

  • Medication Management: Safely managing medications is crucial to recovery from psychotic episodes if the person has an underly mental health condition. Anti-psychotics and mood stabilizers are some of the psychiatric medications prescribed to those with psychotic disorders.
  • Case Management: A case manager can help to coordinate care across all levels of treatment. They help clients get medical care, employment resources, housing, mental health therapy, drug treatment, and other services.
  • Outpatient Rehab: Following detox and inpatient treatment services, outpatient drug and alcohol rehab gives clients the continuing care they need for long-term addiction recovery. Clients could live at home, with family, or at a sober living home during outpatient rehab.

The signs and symptoms of drug-induced psychosis could be scary for the person experiencing it as well as their loved ones. However, the underlying causes—addiction and co-occurring mental health disorders—are treatable conditions. With professional help, clients can overcome their addictions and thrive in recovery.

Get Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Today

A drug-induced psychosis causes several signs and symptoms that are a cause for immediate concern. Getting a person into emergency care is the number one priority during drug-induced psychosis. After that, they need long-term care to recover from addiction and manage underlying mental health symptoms.

Creekside Recovery Residences offers long-term support for those with drug and alcohol addiction. Contact us to start your long-term recovery today.

high functioning depression

Signs and Symptoms of High-Functioning Depression

by with No Comment Mental health

A myth exists that someone dealing with depression finds themselves unable to get out of bed or function in their daily lives. Actually, many people who struggle with depression may act in a way that hides their conditions from others, including their loved ones. This makes it important to recognize the signs of high-functioning depression so that a person can understand they have an illness. This allows them to receive quality treatment that helps them manage their symptoms and live happier, more fulfilling lives. 

What Is High-Functioning Depression?

Depression affects one in six people at some point during their lifetime. Someone who shows signs of high-functioning depression may be diagnosed as having a major depressive disorder or persistent depressive disorder. Depression can be easily spotted in some people, such as those who find themselves unable to work, go to school, or otherwise participate fully in their lives. When a person develops high-functioning depression, those around them, including loved ones, may have a more difficult time recognizing what’s going on.

The effects of high-functioning depression may build up over time, making it difficult for even the person suffering from it to realize they have a mental health disorder. This type of personality often does not feel comfortable reaching out for help and will do their best to act as if everything is fine. In some cases, the person experiences short bouts of feeling fewer depressive symptoms. This can add to the belief that they just suffer from bad moods but manage to push through them. 

The term “high-functioning” can lend itself to the idea that the person who has this level of depression is stronger than others who deal with the illness. In reality, anyone who struggles with depression is at risk of becoming worse off and even developing suicidal feelings. This makes it imperative that the person receive professional treatment so they can overcome their depression.

Signs of High-Functioning Depression

Many of the signs of high-functioning depression are similar to those of regular depression. Common signs include:

  • Sleeping too much or too little
  • Low energy
  • Unexplained physical ailments like headaches, stomachaches, and body aches
  • Weight gain or loss due to eating in relation to moods
  • Constantly feeling sad or hopeless
  • Difficulty thinking clearly or making decisions
  • Lack of motivation for daily chores or hobbies
  • Feelings of guilt
  • Low self-esteem
  • Consistently feeling pessimistic
  • Crying jags
  • Withdrawing from loved ones
  • Lack of enthusiasm or trouble performing well at work or in school
  • Using or abusing drugs or alcohol to self-medicate

Someone with high-functioning depression may go to work every day and even excel at it. They may do similiarly well in school, hobbies, or raising a family. Still, underneath it all, they are fighting their depression and not living the happy, fulfilling lives they deserve. 

How Does Treatment For Depression Work?

Treatment for depression happens in a variety of ways, often in stages. Someone who has severe signs of high-functioning depression may need to start out getting help in a residential program, then move into an outpatient program. Outpatient care takes place during the day and allows the person to live at home while receiving it. 

As an alternative, many people benefit from living in a sober living home while getting outpatient care. While some may associate sober living homes with substance use disorders, many of them also help people overcome mental health disorders. In fact, a lot of residents in this type of home are receiving treatment for both an addiction and a mental illness. 

Can High-Functioning Depression Happen With Substance Abuse?

Approximately half of those who have a mental health disorder, including depression, also develop a substance use disorder. This is called dual diagnosis and can be treated by many residential, outpatient, and sober living home treatment programs. 

It’s common for someone exhibiting the signs of high-functioning depression to begin to abuse drugs or alcohol in order to try to alleviate their symptoms. Sadly, this attempt at self-medicating can turn into a full-blown addiction. When the person receives treatment for a dual diagnosis, it addresses both illnesses. As their depressive symptoms begin to subside, this can cause their desire to use substances to lessen. As well, when the individual stops abusing substances, it can help reduce the symptoms of depression.

A benefit of outpatient care, including that which comes with sober living homes, is that the person can receive medication management. This allows the person to work on themselves in traditional talk therapy sessions, including individual and group therapy. Alongside this, they visit with a clinician who assesses their need for medication to address their depression. This medical expert effectively oversees how the person does taking their meds and manages any need to change the dosage or type of prescription medication being used. 

Begin Treatment For Signs of High-Functioning Depression

Do you deal with signs of high-functioning depression and are tired of how challenging it can be to live your daily life because of it? Creekside Recovery Residences in Atlanta provides a safe haven for people to live while they work on treating their high-functioning depression. We offer comfortable, modern homes shared with peers who are also in the process of rebuilding their lives and can support each other. We provide access to several kinds of outpatient care that help you work on mental health disorders, as well as any co-occurring addiction to drugs or alcohol. 
Please visit our admissions page for more information on how to overcome high-functioning depression. Our staff will be happy to talk to you about our program and answer any questions you have.