What are the symptoms of substance-induced psychosis?
• Prominent hallucinations or delusions that are the direct physiological effect of a substance and are more real than those sometimes associated with substance use;
• Usually, the person does not realise that the hallucinations are related to the substance use;
• The symptoms begin during or within a month of substance intoxication or withdrawal and persist as long as the substance use and/or withdrawal continues;
• The person remains vulnerable to further episodes of psychosis;
• Substance-induced psychosis may look the same as the acute phase of psychotic disorders, but the duration of the symptoms is usually shorter;
• In order to receive a diagnosis of substance-induced psychosis, the symptoms must be linked causally to the drug use. Otherwise, a diagnosis of first-episode psychosis (called schizophreniform psychosis) will be given.
