Social Psychiatry, Vol. 54 No. 2, 2026.
Meeting abstract
https://doi.org/10.24869/spsih.2026.206
The Impact of Psychoactive Substances on Mental Health
Ante Drmić
; University Hospital of Split, Spinčićeva 1, 21000 Split, Croatia
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
As a nurse working in the psychiatric ward of the
Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital
of Split, I encounter the consequences of psychoactive
substance use on mental health on a daily
basis. Psychoactive substances, such as alcohol,
drugs, and certain medications that are misused,
act on the central nervous system and can cause
changes in mood, behavior, thinking, and perception.
Long-term or frequent use is associated with
an increased risk of developing anxiety disorders,
depression, psychosis, addiction, and risky behavior.
In individuals who already have psychological
difficulties, psychoactive substances often worsen
symptoms and complicate treatment. They
can also lead to social isolation, problems within
the family and at the workplace, and can impair
quality of life. Education, early intervention, and
professional support from the healthcare team
play an important role in prevention and treatment.
By promoting healthy lifestyle habits and
providing support to people at risk, we can help
preserve mental health and reduce the harmful consequences of psychoactive substance use. We
present the case of a patient in his thirties who
has been actively using psychoactive substances
since early puberty and has been in psychiatric
treatment since adolescence. He has been treated
and hospitalized multiple times in various psychiatric
institutions. From the outset, heteroanamnestic
data indicated that the patient had normal
psychomotor development, came from a harmonious
family, and had a negative psychiatric family
history. The aim of this paper is to highlight
the harmful effects of psychoactive substances
on mental health, to present the chronology of
the patient’s mental health deterioration, and to
draw attention to the growing problem of psychoactive
substances in society.
Keywords
psychoactive substances; mental health; psychiatry
Hrčak ID:
352332
URI
Publication date:
15.6.2026.
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