"MODEL PSYCHOSIS" PRODUCED BY INHALATION OF GASOLINE FUMES
American Journal of Psychiatry – February 01, 1964
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Acute psychosis can arise from unexpected sources: two teenage cases illustrate severe perceptual and psychological disturbances from gasoline inhalation. These symptoms, including vivid symbolic content, resembled those induced by hallucinogens like Mescaline, Psilocybin, and Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). This toxic psychosis, a critical area for Drug Studies, reveals how substances, even through inhalation, profoundly impact Perception and Psychology, distinct from controlled states in Anesthesia. Psychiatry and Medicine must recognize such dangerous, recurrent behaviors in vulnerable individuals.
Abstract
Two teen-age cases of toxic psychosis associated with gasoline inhalation are described and compared with the so-called "model psychoses" evoked by mescaline, LSD =25 and psilocybin. The symptoms were predominantly autonomic, perceptual and affective. The perceptual experiences included much personnally significant symbolic content. The inhaling of gasoline quickly became a tempting recurrent activity in the case of these two boys with maladjusted and impulsive personalities.