The teenage years are a time of turbulent change in a person's life. Between the ages of 13 and 19, young people undergo many physical, emotional, psychological and social transformations. As teens struggle to establish identities independent from their parents, they often act out in rebellious ways, such as abusing drugs. Drug abuse can lead to a host of problems for teenagers, including bad grades, social isolation and even symptoms of mental illness such as psychosis.
What Is Psychosis?
Psychosis is a mental health condition most commonly experienced by people with severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. When you are in the throes of psychosis, you have lost touch with reality as most people experience it. You may see and hear things that other people don't see or hear; this is known as hallucinating. Or you may have false beliefs known as delusions. You might be utterly convinced you are famous or that someone is intent on harming or killing you.
Teen Drug Abuse and Psychosis
The abuse of certain drugs, including crystal methamphetamine and cocaine, is known to cause psychosis in teens. In addition, a growing body of research has concluded that teenagers who smoke marijuana face an increased risk of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. For example, researchers at the Brain Institute at the University of Queensland in Australia have concluded that youths who start smoking marijuana in their early teens double their risk of schizophrenia.
Mental Illness and Psychosis
Complicating the issue of psychosis and drug abuse in teenagers is the fact that some teens experience psychosis without touching drugs. According to the National Institutes of Health, about 1 percent of the population develops schizophrenia, and the disorder typically emerges in the late teens and early 20s for boys and mid 20s and early 30s for girls. Thus, it is not always clear whether psychosis in teens, especially teenage boys, is caused by drugs or schizophrenia---or both.
Seeking Help
Regardless of the cause, any teen who is exhibiting psychotic symptoms should be examined by a mental health professional immediately. Psychosis is an extremely distressing psychological state. When you're psychotic, the voices in your head tend to be mean and often urge you to harm yourself or kill yourself. They tell you that others are against you and that you must protect yourself. While most people with schizophrenia are not violent, a teenager experiencing psychosis may act erratically and harm himself or those around him.
Treatment
Fortunately, help is available. Drug-induced psychosis usually goes away as the drugs work their way through the body. Drug abuse treatment, typically consisting of drug education, individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy and the Narcotics Anonymous program, can help teens stay drug free. Those who are diagnosed with schizophrenia face a lifelong struggle against a chronic, disabling disorder. However, new antipsychotic medications offer some relief from symptoms, and various types of therapy are available to help with school, work, social and daily living skills.
