Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder Quiz

Answer: False

Drug-induced psychosis typically appears in individuals who have had chronic experience with large doses of dopamine-affecting drugs, such as amphetamines, methamphetamine, cocaine or L-DOPA. The symptoms of drug-induced psychosis include chronic or constant hallucinations, delusions, and thought disorder, as well as many symptoms similar to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

On the other hand, individuals with HPPD (and who do not have any other psychotic disorders) are not affected by delusions or thought disorder. They are aware that the distortions in their perception are not real. Also, their distortions are not "hallucinations"; they are the memory of a previous hallucination, often called a "flashback".

Answer: heroin

HPPD is, obviously, caused by hallucinogens. The category of hallucinogens can be further broken down into three subcategories: psychedelics, dissociatives, and deliriants. Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD, or "acid"), methylenedioxy-methylamphetamine (MDMA, or "ecstasy"), and psilocybin ("magic mushrooms") all belong to the psychedelic subcategory, which is the subcategory of hallucinogens most likely to cause HPPD, though some dissociatives do as well, such as phencyclidine (PCP, or "angel dust") and ketamine.

Heroin is classified as an opiate or opioid. Opioids are analgesics (painkillers) rather than hallucinogens, though heroin can display some hallucinogenic properties, especially when cut with cocaine or methamphetamine. On its own, however, heroin is highly unlikely to cause HPPD.

Answer: feeling of euphoria

No, this disorder definitely does not make you feel good. Anxiety is the biggest consequence of this disorder. The distortions experienced by an individual with HPPD can be quite vivid and powerful and often provoke a sense of anxiety (which includes fear and apprehension, as well as physical effects such as heart palpitations, headaches, and nausea). Because this is not a psychotic disorder, many individuals who suffer from HPPD realize that it was their own choice to take drugs and they have no one to blame but themselves, which leads to the feelings of guilt and regret.

Having HPPD also coincides with having Depersonalization Disorder (DPD) in many individuals. DPD is the persistent feeling of being disconnected from one's body and difficulty relating to reality. It is often accompanied by anxiety and panic disorders. Though currently not proven, it is thought that having HPPD causes individuals to develop DPD.

Answer: Yes

The first category of HPPD is the chronic form, where the individual's perception is distorted constantly, even when his or her eyes are closed. The second form of HPPD involves occasional perception distortion. These are more accurately referred to as "flashbacks" than episodes of chronic HPPD, because they appear suddenly and last only a short while.

Answer: True

In other cases, an individual may experience HPPD even after their first experience with the drug, but the disorder usually worsens after repeated drug use. Often the person does not even know they are experiencing HPPD; they may dismiss the symptoms of the disorder as simply "after-effects" of the drug trip. HPPD can also appear even months after the individual's last experience with drugs.

Answer: occipital lobe

Drugs such as ecstasy trigger the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, creating an excess in the brain which can damage nerve endings in different areas of the brain. Research has been performed on animals and evidence suggests that the repeated use of psychotropic drugs can 'kill' neurons in different areas of the brain.

The occipital lobe of the human brain is the primary visual processing section of the brain. Thus, if it suffers enough damage, it will hinder the individual's ability to properly process visual perceptions.

Answer: True

This should be a no-brainer, no pun intended. However, it is important to note that this means ALL drug use should be discontinued, not just psychedelics or whatever other drug may have caused the problem in the first place. This means no nicotine, no alcohol, no caffeine, no over-the-counter allergy medication (which often contains pseudo-ephedrine).

It is possible that the HPPD will just go away on its own if drug use is discontinued; however it could take from several months to several years, and can occur gradually or suddenly.

In general, discontinuing the use of any drugs will at the very least ensure that the individual's condition will not worsen.

Answer: True

Benzodiazepines are a class of psychoactive drugs considered to be 'tranquilizers'. This class of drugs includes diazepam (Valium) and alprazolam (Xanax). These can be appropriate to treat HPPD because they work by slowing down the central nervous system.

They are used to treat anxiety, seizures, and withdrawal. It should be noted that these drugs will not cure HPPD; they will simply help alleviate some of the associated symptoms such as anxiety and will help the individual adapt to the disorder so that he or she may lead as normal a life as possible.

Answer: the symptoms must persist for at least six months following an experience with drugs

These are the official medical diagnosis criteria as outlined in the "DSM IV". The "DSM IV" is a psychiatry handbook which outlines how to diagnose specific disorders, or what disorder certain behaviours may be symptomatic of. The "IV" indicated that the fourth edition of this manual is currently being used by mental health professionals. "DSM IV" was published in 1994, and the fifth edition is currently being put together.

Answer: All of these

It is important to note that many of these visual disturbances occur from time to time in perfectly healthy people. What differentiates a normal occurrence from an HPPD case is the severity, frequency and recurrence of these disturbances. Often an HPPD case will include many of the symptoms occurring on an ongoing basis, even several of them at one time. Other common visual disturbances include looking at an image, then looking away and still seeing it; reduced discrimination between shades of the same colour; big mistakes in colour perception (such as seeing black as yellow); difficulty reading text; seeing halos around objects; and perceiving stationary objects to be moving. This is by no means an exhaustive list; many, many more symptoms of visual disturbances are known to occur in cases of HPPD.

Most of the information presented in this quiz comes from Wikipedia and the Erowid website. (Erowid is an organization dedicated to providing information about psychoactive plants and chemicals).