What Is Meth Psychosis and How Can You Get Help?

Paranoia, anxiety, hallucinations. Meth psychosis can be terrifying, and anyone who’s gone through it will tell you it’s something you don’t want to experience. However, if you’re abusing meth, there’s a good chance you will experience meth psychosis at some point. Research shows meth psychosis is a problem for many people who use the drug recreationally. Studies have found that meth-induced psychotic disorder affects between 7% and 76% of meth users. The prevalence of meth psychosis is around 36.5%. This disorder is more common among people who have a lifetime diagnosis of meth use disorder (43.3%), but anyone who uses meth is at risk for it.

What is Meth Psychosis?

Chronic meth users are at risk for an effect of meth known as meth psychosis. This is also called amphetamine psychosis. Methamphetamine abuse causes brain changes that can flip your high from euphoria to a bout of meth paranoia. Meth psychosis and paranoid schizophrenia share some of the same symptoms. The experience can be very scary and unsettling to someone going through it and for the people around them.

Symptoms of meth psychosis may include:

• Seeing and hearing things that aren’t there
• Intense anxiety and paranoia
• Feeling things that aren’t there (tactile hallucinations)
• Violent behavior
• Depression
• Suicidal thoughts
• Hyperactivity
• Not making sense when speaking

When meth-induced psychosis occurs, you may also experience meth mites or “crank bugs.” This is the sensation of bugs crawling on your body. Some crystal meth users say they also have visual hallucinations, believing they see the bugs as well.

Other Signs of Meth Abuse

If you’re worried that a loved one is using meth, here are some other symptoms of meth abuse and addiction to be aware of:

• Extreme mood swings
• Dental problems, such as tooth decay and missing teeth
• Skin sores from scratching
• Obsessive or compulsive behaviors
• Isolating from others
• Dilated pupils
• Sudden weight loss

Also look for paraphernalia people use for shooting, injecting, or smoking meth. These may include:

• Glass pipes
• Aluminum foil
• Straws
• Plastic bags
• Syringes
• Pipe cleaners
• Rubber bands

What Causes Meth Psychosis?

Meth causes your brain to produce extreme amounts of dopamine, which is sometimes called the “feel-good chemical.” Excessive dopamine produces a sense of euphoria . It’s also a chemical tied to several important body functions, like:

•  Brain functioning
• Motivation
• Movement
• Reproduction
• Reward

The overproduction of dopamine is what can cause psychosis from meth abuse. Your brain eventually becomes depleted of dopamine, which interferes with how it communicates to other parts of your body. The effect of methamphetamine dependence on your limbic system also contributes to meth paranoia. The limbic system is tied to emotions, and meth psychosis can trigger feelings like intense anxiety.

How Long Does Meth Psychosis Last?

Meth psychosis can last for up to a week, but it may persist for months in some cases. Repeated meth abuse can lead to long-term psychosis. This is a mental disorder that causes you to see or hear things that aren’t there and have paranoid delusions and severe anxiety. Repeated use of methamphetamine can cause permanent psychological effects, like paranoia and psychosis.

One study examined 258 meth users who had been abusing drugs for an average of seven years. Of the 189 patients:

• 73% had restarted using illicit drugs.
• 89% had psychotic symptoms that lasted for less than a month after they stopped taking drugs.
• In 60%, the psychotic symptoms resolved within a month of stopping drug use.
• 30% had symptoms that persisted for one to six months.
• 10% had symptoms that persisted for more than six months.

Compared to the other two groups, patients whose symptoms persisted for more than six months were more likely to have:

• A family history of mental illness
• An earlier age of onset of substance abuse
• A longer duration of drug abuse prior to the study
• Re-hospitalization during the follow-up period

Psychotic symptoms at the time of follow-up

How to Help Someone with Meth Psychosis

The time it takes to come out of a meth psychosis varies. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, often meth paranoia may only last until the drug has left your system. Other times, you develop psychosis as a part of meth withdrawal, which can last a few days as the central nervous system tries to rebalance itself. There are some methamphetamine users who experience psychosis symptoms for months or even years after quitting meth.

There isn’t a cure for meth-induced psychosis. Sometimes doctors prescribe medications to help with long-term psychotic symptoms, but most times it is a matter of waiting for the symptoms to subside. The best thing you can do for someone experiencing meth psychosis is keep them safe and try to get them help for their addiction. They are incapable of rational thought during a psychotic episode, and they may be confused and delusional. Here are a few things you can do during a meth psychosis:

• Stay calm so you don’t trigger them.
• Speak slowly and clearly.
• Take them to a space that doesn’t have a lot of visual or auditory stimulation.
• Don’t tell them that what they are seeing, hearing, or feeling isn’t real.
• Call 911 if they are violent or in physical danger.
• Once the episode has passed, encourage them to enter addiction treatment.

Who Is at Risk for Meth Psychosis?

Methamphetamine psychosis is a mental disorder that results from chronic use of methamphetamine. Some people are more at risk for developing meth psychosis than others.

Having a history of psychiatric disorders is a risk factor for methamphetamine psychosis. This includes people who have:

• Schizophrenia
• Bipolar disorder
• Depression

Other factors that may increase the risk of methamphetamine psychosis include:

• Using meth in high doses
• Using meth over a long period of time
• Using other drugs along with methamphetamine