Rational scale to assess the harm of recreational drug use Drug Drug class Physicalharm Dependenceliability Socialharm Avg.harm Methamphetamine CNS stimulant 3.00 2.80 2.72 2.92 Heroin Opioid 2.78 3.00 2.54 2.77 Cocaine CNS stimulant 2.33 2.39 2.17 2.30 Barbiturates CNS depressant 2.23 2.01 2.00 2.08 Methadone Opioid 1.86 2.08 1.87 1.94 Alcohol CNS depressant 1.40 1.93 2.21 1.85 Ketamine Dissociative anesthetic 2.00 1.54 1.69 1.74 Benzodiazepines Benzodiazepine 1.63 1.83 1.65 1.70 Amphetamine CNS stimulant 1.81 1.67 1.50 1.66 Tobacco Tobacco 1.24 2.21 1.42 1.62 Buprenorphine Opioid 1.60 1.64 1.49 1.58 Cannabis Cannabinoid 0.99 1.51 1.50 1.33 Solvent drugs Inhalant 1.28 1.01 1.52 1.27 4-MTA Designer SSRA 1.44 1.30 1.06 1.27 LSD Psychedelic 1.13 1.23 1.32 1.23 Methylphenidate CNS stimulant 1.32 1.25 0.97 1.18 Anabolic steroids Anabolic steroid 1.45 0.88 1.13 1.15 GHB Neurotransmitter 0.86 1.19 1.30 1.12 Ecstasy Empathogenic stimulant 1.05 1.13 1.09 1.09 Alkyl nitrites Inhalant 0.93 0.87 0.97 0.92 Khat CNS stimulant 0.50 1.04 0.85 0.80 Depending on the actual compound, drug abuse including alcohol may lead to health problems, social problems, morbidity, injuries, unprotected sex, violence, deaths, motor vehicle accidents, homicides, suicides, physical dependence or psychological addiction. There is a high rate of suicide in alcoholics and other drug abusers. The reasons believed to cause the increased risk of suicide include the long-term abuse of alcohol and other drugs causing physiological distortion of brain chemistry as well as the social isolation. Another factor is the acute intoxicating effects of the drugs may make suicide more likely to occur. Suicide is also very common in adolescent alcohol abusers, with 1 in 4 suicides in adolescents being related to alcohol abuse. In the US, approximately 30% of suicides are related to alcohol abuse. Alcohol abuse is also associated with increased risks of committing criminal offences including child abuse, domestic violence, rapes, burglaries and assaults. Drug abuse, including alcohol and prescription drugs, can induce symptomatology which resembles mental illness. This can occur both in the intoxicated state and also during withdrawal. In some cases, substance-induced psychiatric disorders can persist long after detoxification, such as prolonged psychosis or depression after amphetamine or cocaine abuse. A protracted withdrawal syndrome can also occur with symptoms persisting for months after cessation of use. Benzodiazepines are the most notable drug for inducing prolonged withdrawal effects with symptoms sometimes persisting for years after cessation of use. Both alcohol, barbiturate as well as benzodiazepine withdrawal can potentially be fatal. Abuse of hallucinogens can trigger delusional and other psychotic phenomena long after cessation of use. Cannabis may trigger panic attacks during intoxication and with continued use, it may cause a state similar to dysthymia. Researchers have found that daily cannabis use and the use of high-potency cannabis are independently associated with a higher chance of developing schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Severe anxiety and depression are commonly induced by sustained alcohol abuse. Even sustained moderate alcohol use may increase anxiety and depression levels in some individuals. In most cases, these drug-induced psychiatric disorders fade away with prolonged abstinence. Similarly, although substance abuse induces many changes to the brain, there is evidence that many of these alterations are reversed following periods of prolonged abstinence. Impulsivity Impulsivity is characterized by actions based on sudden desires, whims, or inclinations rather than careful thought. Individuals with substance abuse have higher levels of impulsivity, and individuals who use multiple drugs tend to be more impulsive. A number of studies using the Iowa gambling task as a measure for impulsive behavior found that drug using populations made more risky choices compared to healthy controls. There is a hypothesis that the loss of impulse control may be due to impaired inhibitory control resulting from drug induced changes that take place in the frontal cortex. The neurodevelopmental and hormonal changes that happen during adolescence may modulate impulse control that could possibly lead to the experimentation with drugs and may lead to the road of addiction. Impulsivity is thought to be a facet trait in the neuroticism personality domain (overindulgence/negative urgency) which is prospectively associated with the development of substance abuse.
risks of Somatization disorder
risks of Delusional disorder
risks of Obsessive–compulsive disorder
complications of Major depressive disorder
treatment of Gender dysphoria
complications of Obsessive–compulsive disorder
complications of Bipolar disorder
complications of Agoraphobia