Psychiatric study of new substance use

Background Synthetic drugs are new psychoactive substances (NPS) that simulate the effects of medications or controlled substances. They are made to avoid detection and provide users with the desired euphoric effects. Aim To conduct a thorough analysis of the psychiatric symptoms associated with the consumption of NPS, including substances such as strox, ice, and shabu. Patients and methods This was a prospective cross-sectional observational study involving 86 patients aged 18 to 60 years, from both sexes, who diagnosed with substance use disorders and had used NPS for at least three months, according to the DSM-5 criteria. The patients experienced a semi-structured clinical psychiatric interview, urine drug screening, beck anxiety inventory, addiction severity index (ASI), and the positive and negative syndrome scale. Results There was a significant relationship between presence of psychotic symptoms and family history of psychiatric disorders ( P =0.040). There was significant relationship between presence of depressive symptoms and unemployment, marital status (divorced) and family history of psychiatric disorders ( P <0.05). There was a significant positive relation between ASI (medical domain, psychological, social domain) and severity of depressive symptoms and between ASI (psychological domain) and severity of anxiety ( P <0.05). Conclusion New psychoactive substance abuse represents a significant risk factor for anxiety, depression, and psychosis. Peer pressure is the most common cause for abuse. Positive family history of addiction is a significant risk factor for abuse.