Author(s): Seyed Mehdi Saberi, Farideh Khodabandeh, Alireza Kahani and Seyed Mehdi Marashi
Background: Dependence to methamphetamines appears to be resulted in mood disturbances as well as potential psychotic behaviors. This study determined prevalence of some psychiatric problems, including delusions and mood alterations due to addiction to methamphetamine (named Shishe among Iranian population). We also compare these psychiatric aspects between Shishe-addicted and non-addicted subjects to assess relationship between consumption of methamphetamines and appearance of psychological disturbances.
Methods: Participants included 50 Shishe-dependent patients and 49 non-addicted subjects as controls that all suffered from acute psychotic alterations recruited from the Iranian Legal Medical Organization between June and December 2010. The drug-dependent samples met DSM-IV criteria for methamphetamine dependence. Face to face interviewing was the source of information on the presence or absence of different types of delusions and manifest mood symptoms.
Results: With respect to overall prevalence of delusions or mood alterations, regardless of underlying sociodemographic factors, need to physical restrain, delusional jealousy, disorientation, mutilation, and manifestation of mood instability were more prevalent in Shishe-addicted than non-addicted ones, while persecutory delusion was similarly revealed in both groups. Separate set of multivariable logistic regression analyses determined whether the two groups differed in the appearance of mood instability symptoms and delusions with the presence of potential cofounders including socio-demographic indices. Addiction to Shishe could be a main indicator for appearance of jealous delusion, disorientation, and self-mutilation.
Conclusion: Acute psychotic patients addicted to Shishe as the most common form of methamphetamines in Iran can experience some serious types of delusions and mood impairments particularly jealous delusion, disorientation, and self-mutilation.
