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Psychiatrists' knowledge of drug induced psychosis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Clare Brabbins*
Affiliation:
Scott Clinic, Rainhill Road, St. Helens, Merseyside, WA9 5DR
Rob Poole
Affiliation:
Windsor House Mental Health Community Resource Centre, 40 Upper Parliament Street, Liverpool, L8 7LF
*
Correspondence
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Abstract

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‘Drug induced psychosis' is a commonly used clinical label but lacks a universally accepted definition. Psychiatrists' understanding of the term was examined using a specifically designed questionnaire. Knowledge about the effects of drugs of abuse and their relationship with psychosis was also examined. A substantial proportion of clinicians did not have a logical and coherent scheme for understanding ‘drug-induced psychosis' and there was no consensus as to which reactions to drug taking should be included within the rubric. Diagnostic errors have potentially serious consequences, so lack of knowledge in this area needs attention and a proposed classification is given.

Type
Original Papers
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1996

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