Alcohol, drugs and mental illness

LSD may also produce a schizophrenia-like psychosis with paranoia and hallucinations that appear to be much more common among those with actual or incipient mental illness. There is no clear evidence that the use of LSD will trigger schizophrenia or other psychotic illness or bring a relapse, but it would be wise for sufferers not to take the risk.

Hallucinogenic mushrooms
Certain mushrooms contain hallucinogens, such as psilocybin, with properties similar to LSD. It takes about 20-30 Liberty Cap mushrooms, eaten raw, cooked or dried, to produce a hallucinogenic experience. There is a greater physiological effect on heart rate and blood pressure than with LSD, and it is possible that the mushrooms may precipitate a schizophrenic reaction.

Ecstasy
Ecstasy is a hallucinogenic amphetamine that in small doses induces a feeling of euphoria, followed by a sensation of serenity and calm together with a heightened perception of the surroundings. Users often experience a degree of anxiety, panic, confusion and insomnia. Much more rarely, you may experience a paranoid psychosis with hallucinations such as those found with other amphetamines.

About 100,000 people, mostly young, are believed to use Ecstasy each weekend. Most of them have no ill effects, so the drug has gained the reputation of being safe. One of the problems is that it is produced in illicit drug factories and laboratories, so that its composition is very variable and may contain toxic additives or more potent varieties, such as DOB, which is a very strong hallucinogenic amphetamine.

While Ecstasy may initially enhance mood by raising levels of the chemical messenger serotonin in the brain, long-term abuse of the drug may damage serotonin receptors and neurons, causing a depletion of serotonin and mood depression. In addition to the development of psychotic reactions, some deaths have been reported after taking Ecstasy as well as a number of severe reactions, including seizure and prolonged coma, so it is far from being a harmless drug and should not be taken by people with mental illness.