Am J Psychiatry 1993; 150:155-156
Copyright © 1993 by American Psychiatric Association
Transient compulsive foraging behavior associated with crack cocaine use
RB Rosse, M Fay-McCarthy, JP Collins Jr, D Risher-Flowers, TN Alim and SI Deutsch
Psychiatry Service, VA Medical Center, Washington, DC 20422.
Compulsive foraging behavior associated with use of crack cocaine involves
compulsively searching the environment for possibly misplaced pieces of
crack. Of 41 crack cocaine addicts evaluated, 33 (80.5%) reported at least
some compulsive foraging associated with use of crack; 21 (51.2%) reported
such behavior as always associated with crack use. The mean length of time
spent in compulsive foraging was 90 minutes. Cocaine-induced foraging may
represent a drug-induced model of a type of compulsive behavior.
