On the night of February 6, in the province of Milan, a man of about 40 died immediately after the intervention of the police who had found him in a state of agitation, armed with a knife that cut his arms and boss. The man had spent the evening consuming cocaine and alcohol, and was presumably delirious and hallucinating as he screamed to free him from something he felt or thought he had stuck to his head.
The consumption of stimulants such as cocaine often produces delusional states, especially in the case of repeated consumption over a short period of time, or smoked cocaine (crack) or methamphetamine, the latter still not widespread in our territory.
The most common form is to think of being spied on, surrounded and besieged by men, or even unidentified “presences”, or spied on through microphones or cameras. Typical is the attitude of those who under cocaine lower the blinds and barricade themselves in the house and then check from the peephole or the windows if someone is lurking outside, or listen to the noises coming from the walls in the belief that someone is climbing on the roof or is checking. Violent reactions are rarer, in which the person often has visual hallucinations and reacts armed, believing that he must fight back. Another possible delusion is that of infestation, that is to believe that you have something inside the body, typically under the skin. This delirium is usually supported by an increased sensitivity of the skin itself,
Someone will remember the news that regarding the cyclist Pantani, found dead in a hotel room where he had retired for days to consume cocaine, and in which there were signs of a delusion of control (barricades with furniture, ventilation and part of the furniture disassembled probably in an attempt to identify alleged cameras and bugs).
Cocaine delusions also include jealousy, in which the person can be convinced by insignificant details or by a free interpretation of phrases or gestures that the partner is “plotting” behind her in the sense of a betrayal.
These delusional states are made worse by the simultaneous consumption of alcohol, for two reasons. In the first place because alcohol consumption has the effect of mitigating some symptoms of cocaine intoxication (anxiety), making it possible for the person to continue consuming it until it produces serious effects such as delirium. Secondly, because alcohol has a somewhat similar effect to that of cocaine, and can therefore contribute to agitation and delirium. Many believe that the combination of an exciting substance with a sedative one, such as alcohol or tranquilizers, is a way to “ward off” some of the toxic effects: in reality this may be true for anxiety, which is harmless after all. behavioral effects are amplified, as are psychotic reactions,
The state of cocaine intoxication is also dangerous for another reason, which falls under the so-called excitatory delirium syndrome. The agitated individual, usually with cut or bump injuries, increased body temperature and reduced hydration due to increased sweating, and in a condition that promotes death from heart, cardiorespiratory, or renal failure.
It is not always possible to intervene in time on advanced pictures of alcohol and cocaine abuse, and long-term hospitalization in a protected environment, in which the person can take the treatment, is not always feasible. However, it is advisable, even with the car of family members, a therapy that is able in the short term, if not to stop the abuse immediately, at least to reduce its severity, to reduce the consumption of at least one of the two substances and to prevent the consequences. behavioral after phases of intense consumption. The therapy, rather than on collateral aspects such as depression and anxiety, which in any case are not in general the reasons justifying the abuse (if ever in some cases controlled use), should in fact be based on the control of impulsivity and the intensity of desire that supports the use of cocaine (craving).
