Novel psychoactive substances (NPS), or ‘legal highs’ are becoming more commonly used as recreational substances in the UK. Their clinical effects are little known and vary considerably between substances. This case discusses a psychiatric inpatient who repeatedly used a stimulant NPS called ‘el blanco’ while on leave, precipitating relapses of his schizophrenia. The patient initially denied drug use, considering legal highs as different from drugs. The relationship between NPS use and mental state was eventually revealed on careful direct questioning. He recovered and was discharged following treatment with clozapine and education about NPS use. We suggest that specific questioning about NPS usage is added to routine psychiatric history taking and that patients using NPS should be educated about the substances’ use.
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机译:在英国,新型精神活性物质(NPS)或“合法高分”正越来越普遍地用作娱乐性物质。它们的临床效果鲜为人知,并且在不同物质之间差异很大。该案例讨论了一名精神病住院患者,他在休假期间反复使用一种名为“ el blanco”的刺激性NPS,加剧了他的精神分裂症复发。病人最初拒绝吸毒,认为合法高点与吸毒不同。 NPS使用与精神状态之间的关系最终通过仔细的直接询问而揭示出来。他康复并接受氯氮平治疗并接受NPS使用教育后出院。我们建议在常规的精神病史记录中增加有关NPS用法的具体问题,并建议对使用NPS的患者进行有关该物质使用的教育。
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