Am J Psychiatry 1991; 148:1708-1711
Copyright © 1991 by American Psychiatric Association
Cocaine-induced paranoia and psychosis proneness
SL Satel and WS Edell
Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine whether individuals who
experience transient cocaine-induced paranoia are vulnerable to psychosis.
METHOD: The subjects were 20 cocaine-dependent men who had been using more
than 5 g of cocaine per week and were undergoing substance abuse treatment;
half reported binge-limited cocaine-induced paranoia. The men were assessed
with the Perceptual Aberration Scale and the Magical Ideation Scale,
self-report measures of symptoms thought to precede the development of
functional psychosis. RESULTS: The combined scores on the Perceptual
Aberration Scale and Magical Ideation Scale were strongly correlated with a
history of cocaine- induced paranoia. The sensitivity, specificity, and
positive and negative predictive power were 80.0%, 90.0%, 88.9%, and 81.8%,
respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Heavy cocaine users who experience transient
paranoia while intoxicated may be at higher risk for development of
psychosis than cocaine users who do not experience paranoia.
