DRUG-WITHDRAWAL PSYCHOSES
I. PIERCE JAMES D.P.M1
1 Hon. Psychiatrist, Royal Perth Hospital, Perth, Western Australia.
Three patients who developed drugwithdrawal psychoses clinically resembling delirium tremens two to three days after admission to a general hospital are described. All three had been addicted to a hypnotic drug (chloral hydrate, carbromal and sodium pentabarbital respectively) prior to admission but had not been taking alcohol.
It is suggested that the syndrome of delirium tremens results from the association of a confusional psychosis with the alcohol (or sedative-drug) withdrawal syndrome and that the tremulous withdrawal psychosis of sedative drug addiction and the delirium tremens of alcoholism are clinically identical.
