The Effects of Recreational Drugs on Mental Health
The area of recreational drug use and mental health is complex. Each individual’s mental health is unique, and each person will have a different relationship to drugs and substances. Some may be more susceptible to their negative effects than others, and what positively impacts one individual’s mental status may harm another’s. Even when the same person takes the same recreational drug on different occasions, it can have other effects.
Recreational drugs are usually consumed for their short-term effects. People experience an intoxication effect or “stoned” feeling with drugs and substances. These short-term effects typically cause a pleasant feeling that can last for minutes or several hours. The results vary from individual to individual and even from one episode of use to another.
People may also experience unwanted short-term side effects from drug use that they didn’t expect. They are classed as short-term effects because they last as long as the drug is in the individual’s system. The short-term results vary depending on the drug type and the person’s unique personal factors.
Frequent drug and substance use can have more long-term effects on mental health, such as depression and anxiety. People using psychoactive drugs may also experience mental health problems, and the risk might increase with the frequent use of higher doses. In addition, using psychoactive drugs may also trigger other mental concerns that the user didn’t know they had because chronic drug use triggers specific chemical actions that affect the brain’s functioning. Long-term effects include depression, anxiety, paranoia, increased aggression or hallucinations, or other psychological effects.
Long-term drug use also affects learning, memory, and concentration. Although some people might be using drugs to cope with difficult experiences or emotions over time, such users may find that their interaction with the drug has changed. They may find themselves struggling to cope with the impact of the extended use of the drug and may need psychological support.
Some people experience anxiety and depression, particularly after using club drugs like MDMA (3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine) or stimulant-type substances such as cocaine or other amphetamines. This is because these drugs change how chemicals like dopamine and serotonin work in the body. Known as a “come down,” this is a process that the body undergoes when recovering from the effects of stimulant-type drugs, comparable to a hangover after alcohol use, yet with different symptomology.
Substances like cannabis increase the chances of developing a psychotic disorder or psychosis when the user is young or has a genetic predisposition to such a mental illness. A person with psychosis processes the world around them differently from others do. This can include hearing or seeing things that other people cannot hear or see and is often described as breaking from reality (having a psychotic episode).
Additionally, stimulants can make a person feel anxious and paranoid. Cocaine or methamphetamines are examples of a stimulants that can trigger the recurrence of a previous mental health problem such as psychosis and even schizophrenia. Users of ecstasy can experience memory recall problems. Similarly, regular use of cannabis can increase the risk of depression and anxiety.
Hallucinogenic drugs like magic mushrooms or LSD can worsen mental health issues, making users feel detached from their surroundings. Hallucinogenic drugs, particularly LSD, can also cause distressing and frightening flashbacks.
