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Clarifying Mental Illness and Psychedelics

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..to the best of my knowledge and psych degree (which is not said with pride) there is not really any clinical evidence for long-term or permanent psychosis caused singularly by taking LSD, psilocybin, DMT etc (the classic indole psychedelics)in people without prior disorders..
..despite all the urban myths over the years..
what there IS clinical evidence for is that amphetamines can induce psychosis..this seems to be the neurochemical pathway more associated with such conditions..
get back to ya'all with some hard evidence if i can..
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^ the modes of action are very different, indole psychedelics mainly work through having high binding affinity with the 5HT receptor family because of their structural similarity to serotonin (5HT are among other things serotonin receptors) .. stimulants are different in that they're dopamine agonists, cause excitation of the CNS and sympathetic nervous system, they deplete dopamine levels from axon terminals and block its re-uptake by inhibiting enzymes which break it down. The reason stimulants are a bonanza for developing addictions is that cascades of dopamine into the nucleus accumbens is a central process for 'reward' sensations and generating repeated behaviour.

also most amphetamines are also at least mildly corrosive to brain tissue. but i don't know many people who do drugs like that because they're happy and well adjusted, i don't think it's an easy question to answer..
 
I was wondering if anybody here have some more precise information about the link between schizophrenia in the family and the chances of developing a latent schizophrenia.

My lover has a grandmother who has a form of schizophrenia, and although she has been doing psychedelics for a while without any bad psychological consequence, she is now wondering if it is a safe tool for her to use.

Anybody has some data or statistic about that issue?
 
^ I dont really believe that this kind of thin runs in families to the degree that people often claim it does. I believe in epigenetics more and I also believe that people as individuals are products of their environments.

I had a great grandmother who was seriously schizo, and I am fine. I have sure as hell taken my share of psychedelics.
 
nen888 said:
..to the best of my knowledge and psych degree (which is not said with pride) there is not really any clinical evidence for long-term or permanent psychosis caused singularly by taking LSD, psilocybin, DMT etc (the classic indole psychedelics)in people without prior disorders..
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Definitely nen888 and jamie, hopefully nothing in my post implied otherwise. Below I have attached an interesting article explaining how it is not solely genetic though and how stresses on the brain can induce a 'minorly effected person' to become more fully effected by the 'syndrome'. However short-term psychosis has definitely been noticed, whereas chronic is more rare and probably harder to catalog in a research paper due to the times the data are taken.

@Chaotic method - I wouldn't say that she should take psychedelics as this is generally not recommended for bipolar persons or schizophrenics. For bipolar people it is known to induce mania which can be life threatening and dangerous for the person and those around the person in some rare cases. Again this depends on the severity of bipolar and countless other factors. If she is medicated most medications will interfere with the actions of psychedelics anyways.

I know they did give LSD to schizophrenic children in a study in I think the 1970's(can't find it now). The kids neither improved nor significantly became worse to my understanding. For me, it can help or make things worse. The day or so after is usually fine but it's a role of the dice as to whether the following week will be cluttered with irrational life-stunting paranoia or easiness. Even with small doses.

Relating LSD induced psychosis to schizophrenia:
 

Attachments

  • THE+ROLE+OF+STRESS+AND+DOPAM1NE-GABA+INTERACTIONS+IN+THE+VULNERABILITY+FOR+SCHIZOPHRENIA.pdf
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InMotion said:
@Chaotic method - I wouldn't say that she should take psychedelics as this is generally not recommended for bipolar persons or schizophrenics. For bipolar people it is known to induce mania which can be life threatening and dangerous for those around the person in some cases. If she is medicated most medications will interfere with the actions of these drugs anyways. I know they did give LSD to schizophrenic children in a study in I think the 1970's(can't find it now). The kids neither improved nor significantly deproved to my understanding. For me, it can help or make things worse. The day or so after is usually fine but it's a role of the dice as to whether the following week will be cluttered with irrational life-stunting paranoia or easiness.
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You didn't understand me well. I am not saying she is schizophrenic, but that her grandmother is. I am wondering if a member of the family being schizophrenic is reason enough to stay away from psychedelics.

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Thanks for the information on your personal experience jamie.
 
Well, as the article I posted above says that there isn't solely a genetic correlation. Environmental factors play a role. She could be more predisposed to it, however it also depends on the person, their life experiences, and perhaps the experience they have with the substance. Again, a car crash or other traumatic event, or series of difficult life experiences can also trigger latent mental disorders.

It's hard to say, I'm not sure whether a psychological evaluation would be of much use either. If this person has suffered persistent delusions, psychosis, extreme mood swings, excessive paranoia, etc, prior to ever taking drugs it would be advisible to say that this person should abstain from them unless they are fully willing to deal with the possible consequences that may occur as a direct result of the use of these substances.
 
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