Inhalant Abuse and Dextromethorphan.
Michael Storck, Laura Black, Morgan Liddell
Child and adolescent psychiatric clinics of North America July 1, 2016 DOI: 10.1016/j.chc.2016.03.007 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractInhalant abuse—the intentional inhalation of volatile substances to alter mental state—is an underrecognized form of substance abuse affecting people across all demographic, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups, causing significant illness and death in school-aged and older children. This review describes current knowledge about its epidemiology, detection, and clinical challenges, and advises medical and mental health providers on their roles in prevention and management. It also discusses misuse of the over-the-counter dissociative drug dextromethorphan.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | School-aged and older children |
| Keywords | Detection Epidemiology Inhalant abuse |
| Key finding | Inhalant abuse causes significant morbidity and mortality in school-aged and older children and crosses all demographic, ethnic, and socioeconomic boundaries. |
Abstract
Inhalant abuse is the intentional inhalation of a volatile substance for the purpose of achieving an altered mental state. As an important, yet underrecognized form of substance abuse, inhalant abuse crosses all demographic, ethnic, and socioeconomic boundaries, causing significant morbidity and mortality in school-aged and older children. This review presents current perspectives on epidemiology, detection, and clinical challenges of inhalant abuse and offers advice regarding the medical and mental health providers' roles in the prevention and management of this substance abuse problem. Also discussed is the misuse of a specific "over-the-counter" dissociative, dextromethorphan.