Substance-Induced Disorders

The toxic effects of substances can mimic mental illness in ways that can be difficult to distinguish from mental illness. This chapter focuses on symptoms of mental illness that are the result of substance abuse—a condition referred to as “substance-induced mental disorders.”

Overview Description Alcohol Caffeine Cocaine and Amphetamines Hallucinogens Nicotine Opioids Sedatives Diagnostic Considerations Case Studies: Identifying Disorders

Description As defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, Text Revision (American Psychiatric Association [APA] 2000) (DSM-IV-TR), substance-induced disorders include:

Substance-induced delirium Substance-induced persisting dementia Substance-induced persisting amnestic disorder Substance-induced psychotic disorder Substance-induced mood disorder Substance-induced anxiety disorder Hallucinogen persisting perceptual disorder Substance-induced sexual dysfunction Substance-induced sleep disorder

Substance-induced disorders are distinct from independent cooccurring mental disorders in that all or most of the psychiatric symptoms are the direct result of substance use. This is not to state that substance-induced disorders preclude co-occurring mental disorders, only that...