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Drugs as a route to abnormal psychology...

H

heylushx3

Greenlighter
Joined
Aug 4, 2008
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Have any of you ever thought about how certain drugs are able to mimic mental disorders? Like schizophrenia, ocd/anxiety disorders, fugue, ect... And how we find enjoyment in doing it to ourselves, the things that people are born with, no control, and have to live with? Like when tripping you can experience visual and auditory hallucinations and people with schizophrenia experience this all the time, every day... it just blows my mind. What're your thoughts?
 
This concept is (in terms of psychological research) quite old. Psilocybine- and LSD-induced hallucinations were once used as model for schizophrenia (now outdated), Ketamine serves as a good model for schizophrenia-like states.

As long as we do not understand those diseases with their molecular mechanism, I think that comparing 'em with drug-induced states is not a feasible. Of course, there are indeed a lot of similarities but the difference is within the details.

Peace! Murphy
 
i agree with murphy, that psychedelics may have some similarities, but are not psychotomimetics they (you?) are looking for. i'd agree that disassociatives are probably the best model. either that or maybe some anti-cholinergics for some delerium psychosis. but i thought that PCP would be closer in the schizophrenia-model than ketamine.
 
man, I've been psychotic before, and IMHO the only drugs that even remotely compare are those that produce stimulant psychosis.
 
Sometimes the most severe psychosis can be caused not by the drug, but instead occur as a result of the drug's withdrawal (after abrupt cessation). This is particularly true of benzos and the potent fast-acting opioids.

Also, most people do not abuse psychedelics, with the exception of dissociatives...

Drugs don't accurately mimic real psychiatric disorders...
 
This is probably the oldest idea in the history of western medicine and psychedelic drugs. There is some vague merit, but overall its pretty off the mark.
 
if they would like to observe me to see how accutaly some things mimic the psychological model ill let them give me free substances, lol!
 
Ham-milton said:
man, I've been psychotic before, and IMHO the only drugs that even remotely compare are those that produce stimulant psychosis.
Click to expand...

Although i've never been psychotic (without the help of drugs, anyway) I have had a mild form of amphetamine induced psychosis and using pure guess work associated that to paranoid schizophrenia.. the hallucinations, the deluded thoughts, the paranoia, etc..

Edit- I just remembered reading somewhere that the latest idea of the biology behind schizophrenia is that there are less than normal amounts of dopamine receptor sites.. Would that not be equal to (or atleast very similar) to developing a big tolerance to amphetamine? Down-regulation of DA receptor sites? Only difference being schizophrenia is a genetic, un-healable thing while with amphetamine tolerance the receptor sites will eventually upregulate.

I'm pretty amateur when it comes to this stuff so don't take my word for it..
 
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