Substance related disorders
Dept. of Psychiatry, Masaryk
University, Brno
Classification - categories
• intoxication
• abuse - harmful use
• dependence
• withdrawal state
• psychotic disorder
• amnestic disorder
Intoxication
• a transient syndrom due to recent
substance ingestion that produce
clinically significant psychological and
physical impairment.These changes
disappear when the substance is
eliminated from the body.
Abuse - harmful use
• refers to maladaptive patterns of
substance use that impair heapth in
broad sense (any physical, mental or
social harm resulting from excessive
consumption)
Dependence
• refers to certain physiological and
psychological phenomena induced by the
repeated taking of substance.
• strong desire to také the substance, need to
obtain the drug,progressive neglect of
alternative sources of satisfactory, the
development of tolerance and physical
withdrawal state
Dependence
• physiological dependence - demonstration either
tolerance to the pharmacological effects of the
drug or charakteristic withdrawal syndrom when
the drug use is diminished
• non physiological phenomena : desire for the drug,
drug seeking behaviour, continued need to obtain
the reinforcing properties of the drug
• tolerance : state in which after repeated
administration, a drug produces a decreased effect
or increasing doses are required to produce the
same effects
Withdrawal state
• a group of symptoms and signs occuring
when a drug is reduced in amount or
withdrawn which last for limited time
Alcohol
• Intoxication - recent ingestion of alcohol
symptoms :
• mood lability, inappropriate sexual or agresive
bahaviour, impaired judgment, social or
occuopational functioning, which develops during or
after alcohol ingestion (slurred speech,
incoordination, unsteady gate, nystagmus,impairment
in attention, memory), severity of symptoms
correlates with the blood concentration(sense of well
being - incoordination, irritability - sedation..)
Alcohol
• Idiosyncratic alcohol intoxication pathological
drunkenness - changes in
behaviour occuring within minutes after
taking a small amount of alcohol
(aggression, desorientation etc..)
Alcohol withdrawal state
• abrupt withdrawal from alcohol or just
reduce usual intake (symptoms may stave
off by futher drinking)
• MINOR : shakes onset after 12-18 hours
after (vomiting, nausea, sweating,
hyperreflexia, elevation of blood pressure,
hypervebntilation, fever, insomnia,
psychomotoric agitation)
Alcohol withdrawal state
• DELIRIUM : long history of drinking, onset 2-3
days after clouding of conscioiusness,
disorientation in time and place,impairment of
recent memory, perceptual disturbances
(hallucinations), agitation, restlessness, tremolous,
autonomic disturbances, epileptic seizures
• treatment : supportive measures (food,
hydratation), nutrition supplementation,
thiamine, benzodiazepines - diazepam,
clomethiazol, doses of those according to severity
of symptoms, tapering off slowly)
Alcohol dependence
• development of tolerance (a need to use
increasing doses to produce same effect), desire,
withdrawal state which follow a drop in blood
concentration, characteristically appears on
waking, after a fall of alcohol concentration
during the night.,they may stave off by futher
drinking - early morning drinking),memory
blackouts
Alcohol dependence
• social damages
• physical damages (GIT, cardiovascular,
malnutrition, neurological etc..)
• psychiatric complication of alcohol
dependence :depression, suicide, Wernicke Korsakoff
syndrome (nystagmus,ataxie, mental
confusion), this stage may lead to Korsakoff
psychosis , alcohol dementia, alcohol hallucinosis
Treatment of alcohol
dependence
• Alcohol detoxification (treatment of withdrawal
syndrom - chemical substitution of alcohol by
benzodiazepines)
• treatment of coexisting disorders
Treatment of alcohol
dependence
• possibilities of pharmacology :
• anticraving therapy - acamprosat, naltrexon
• aversive therapy - disulfuram
• supportive therapy - vitamines
• psychological treatment - supportive, cognitive
behavioural, in a therapeutical community, an
individual, etc
Opioids
• The strongest pain killers, sedating effect
• codein, morphin, heroin. Syntetics
analgetics
• intoxification _ euphoria, apathy,
dysphoria, psychomotoric agitation or
retardation, impaired judgment that
develops during or shortly after opioid use
• severe psychological and physical
dependence
Opioids
• withdrawal state - sweating, yawning, insomnia,
piloerection, anorexia, dilated pupils, tremor,
abdominal cramp, diarrhea, vomiting, elecated
blood pressure, increased respoiratory, heart rate,
dysphoric mood, aches.Treatment - mild:
benzodiazepines, analgetics, severe : chemical
substitution - methadon, buprenorphin
• treatment of dependence - psychological treatment
(supportive therapy) , often retaining therapy
(lasting for long time) - methadon, buprenorphin
Stimulants
• amphetamines, cocain, methylphenydate etc
• intoxication : immidiate effect on mood - euphoria
(but may by anxiety, tension, anger), excitment,
increased energy,PM agitation, enhanced sense of
mastery, grandious thinking, insomnia, anorexia,
talkativness, overactivity, transient delusional
psychosis
• Treatment : acute overdose - sedation, managment
of somatic complications, controlling psychotic
symptoms
Stimulants
• psychological dependence
• withdrawal state : dysphoric mood, depression,
anxiety, hunger, slugginess or agitation, irritability,
insomnia, increased activity, craving.
• Treatment : social, psychological support,
antidepressants
Cannabionoids
• Marihuana, hashish
• intoxication : pleasant state of euphory, emotional
lability, depersonalization and confusion,
disconnected speech, recent memory impairment,
increased heart rate, averse rare reactions : panic,
psychosis, depression
Cannabionoids
• psychological dependence
• some clinicians have indentified an amotival
syndrome of low drive, poor judgment, loss
insight, poor communication as the effect of
chronic use of cannabinoids (many years)
Hallucinogens
• Mescalin, psilocybin, diethyllamid, MMDA (+
stimulant), LSD
• intoxication ( psychic state) : alteration of mood
(euphoria), vividness of real or fantasied senzory
illusions and hallucinations, senesthesia (overflow
from one senzory modality to another), confusion,
loss of body boundaries, feeling of grandiosity and
omnipotence)
Hallucinogens
• physical signs : pupillary dilatation, tachycardia,
sweating, palpitation, tremors etc., possible
adverse reaction _ acute panic attacks, psychosis,
flashbacks, precipitations of underlying psychosis
• Treatment : supportive and reassuring person,
diminishing the stimulation around, panic benzodiazepines,
psychosis - neuroleptics
• no dependence
• no withdrawal state
Sedative, hypnotics, anxiolytics
• Intoxication :similar to alcohol, mood lability,
slurred speech, incoordination, unsteady gate,
nystagmus, impairment in attention and memory
• psychological, physical dependence - detoxificatin,
substituion with other therapy (psychotherapy)
Sedative, hypnotics, anxiolytics
• withdrawal state : autonomic hyperactivity, hand
tremor, nausea, vomiting, transient hallucinations,
psychomotoric agitation, anxiety
• withdrawal delirium
• risk od grand mal seizures
• treatment : tapered off medication slowly (weeks)
at the patient with no signs of tolerance or
withdrawal state but with long history of using this
kind of medication