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Sept. 12, 2024 – The drugs “can flood the brain with dopamine, and when you flood the brain with dopamine you potentially can cause psychosis,” said Dr. Jacob Ballon. The link between amphetamines and psychosis isn’t new. Amphetamines increase levels of dopamine in the brain.
“That’s what this study provides,” said Dr. Will Cronenwett, vice chair for clinical affairs in psychiatry at Northwestern Medicine.
“The United States is having sort of an amphetamine moment right now,” Cronenwett said. “The popularity and use of amphetamines is high and getting higher.”
Stimulant use in the U.S. has skyrocketed in recent years, particularly among adults. A study published this year in JAMA Psychiatry found that prescription rates for amphetamines for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder had risen 30% from 2018 to 2022 in people ages 20 to 39. Among people ages 40 to 59, rates rose 17%.
