title: Clinical features, course and treatment of methamphetamine-induced psychosis in psychiatric inpatients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Over the past few years, methamphetamine-induced psychosis (MIP) has increased in Iran, accounting for a significant percentage of psychiatry hospital admissions. The present study was conducted with an aim to investigate clinical symptoms, and course and treatment methods of MIP inpatients in Shafa Psychiatry Hospital in northern Iran.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 152 MIP inpatients. Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) subscales of suspiciousness, unusual thought content; hallucinations and hostility were used to measure psychiatric symptoms. Data regarding suicide and homicide and violence were also obtained through interviews with the inpatients and their family. Based on their lengths of recovery time, the inpatients were categorized into 3 clinical groups. These inpatients received their usual treatments and were monitored for their psychiatric symptoms and clinical course of illness. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most frequent psychiatric symptoms were violence (75.6 %), intimate partner violence (61.2 %), delusions of persecution (85.5 %), delusions of reference (38.5 %), delusions of grandiosity (32.9 %), delusions of infidelity (30.2 %), auditory hallucinations (51.3 %), visual hallucinations (18.4 %), suicidal thoughts (14.5 %), homicidal thoughts (3.9 %), suicide attempts (10.5 %) and homicide attempts (0.7 %). Recovery from psychotic symptoms in 31.6 % of the inpatients took more than one month. 46.1% of the inpatients were treated with Risperidone and 37.5 % with Olanzapine. Persecutory delusion and auditory hallucination were the most frequent persistent psychotic symptoms. 20.8 % of the inpatients with duration of psychosis more than one month were treated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) along with antipsychotics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All forms of violence are highly frequent in MIP inpatients. Our finding agrees with many other studies suggesting that recovery from MIP can take more than a month. Initial promising findings were found regarding the efficacy of Electroconvulsive therapy in MIP patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Shafa University Hospital, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Panzdah Khordad Ave., 4165863795, Rasht, Iran. Zarrabi@gums.Ac.Ir.
authors.forename: Homa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zarrabi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Shafa University Hospital, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Panzdah Khordad Ave., 4165863795, Rasht, Iran. khalkhali@gums.Ac.Ir.
authors.forename: Mohammadrasoul
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khalkhali
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Shafa University Hospital, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Panzdah Khordad Ave., 4165863795, Rasht, Iran. Az.hamidi71@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Azam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hamidi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Shafa University Hospital, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Panzdah Khordad Ave., 4165863795, Rasht, Iran. R.ahmadi57@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ahmadi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Shafa University Hospital, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Panzdah Khordad Ave., 4165863795, Rasht, Iran. Dr.maryam_z@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zavarmousavi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019969:Amphetamine-Related Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D010054:Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; D003702:Delusions / Q000139:chemically induced; D004565:Electroconvulsive Therapy; D005260:Female; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000139:chemically induced; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011605:Psychoses, Substance-Induced / Q000628:therapy*; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D008694:Methamphetamine