Toxic consumption among patients suffering delusional disorder

Abstract

Introduction

Several epidemiological studies describe the association between substance abuse and appearance of psychotic symptoms. There is a higher prevalence of psychotic symptoms among cannabis and cocaine consumers compared to the general population.

The cannabinoid receptors regulate the release of dopamine and cocaine has a strong inhibitory action on reuptake of the same. This may explain the greater proportion of subjects moderately or heavily dependent on cocaine or cannabis experience symptoms of psychotic sphere.

Objectives/Aims

Describing the profile of drug consumption among a group of patients diagnosed with delusional disorder.

Methods

Our data come from a case register study of delusional disorder in Andalucía (Spanish largest region). By accessing digital health data, we selected 1927 cases who meet criteria DSM 5 for delusional disorder collecting different toxic consumption habits.

Results

It was found that 1070 (93.4%) of patients diagnosed as delusional disorder according DSM 5 did not consume cannabis, compared to 75 (6.6%) who do so. Among patients diagnosed as “other psychoses”, 243 (85%) did not use drugs and 43 (15%) consume other drugs of different types of cannabis.

Conclusion

In our sample, we found that the use of drugs such as cannabis and cocaine is less common among patients diagnosed with delusional disorder compared with other individuals diagnosed as “other psychosis”.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.