If you've ever been curious about how schizophrenics experience the world, trying taking PCP or ketamine. No really. The experience of being on these drugs create symptoms identical to what 1% of the worlds population experience every day while coping with their condition. These symptoms can be as pleasant as euphoria, but more likely, they result in paranoia, hallucinations, suicidal impulses and aggressive behavior. If you're trying to get some insight into schizophrenia, you might want to try it. There is however one type of person who should never experiment with these drugs (or any) and that type is someone who a family history of schizophrenia. Schizophrenia isn't quite genetic and it isn't quite environmental, but more or less a combination of both. If someone in your immediate family has it, you have about a 10% chance of developing it yourself. Even if you have an identical twin with the disease, the chance rises to only about 50%. Imagine, with almost exact genetic material it's still hit or miss. What's also known is that people who are related to those with schizophrenia are much more likely to be highly creative thinkers. What makes the leap between being 'highly creative' and schizophrenic could be substance abuse.
Take for instance this story of legendary science fiction writer, Philip K. Dick. Dick's writing had always had themes of shifting boundaries, universes, times and identities. He's one of my favorite authors because you can't predict which way the narrative is going to turn and once you find out, you never know what hit you. Dick was a well established writer prior to 1974, but in that year he was prescribed sodium thiopental for pain relief following the extraction of a wisdom tooth. The thing is about sodium thiopental is that it isn't exactly a pain reliever. It's used most frequently to medically induce comas as well as for euthanasia. What's most interesting, however, is that it's also used as a truth serum as it's in a barbiturate class that decreases higher cortical functioning and since lying involves more energy, it can get people to talk. Because of this, it's frequently used in psychiatry.
While under the influence, Dick answered his front door and noted a fish symbol on the pendant of the delivery woman who was delivering more analgesic. Dick would never be the same. He began having visions; sometimes they were laser beams, others times they were geometric patterns, and still others were brief scenes of Jesus and Ancient Rome. The visions grew longer and more frequent and eventually Dick began to lead a double life, one as himself and the other as 'Thomas', a Christian persecuted by ancient Romans in the first century AD. You can read all about his experience in his semi autobiographical novel, Valis, but prepare to be unnerved.
Even a drug as seemingly benign as marijuana has been shown to worsen schizophrenic symptoms within a few hours. While marijuana users experience an initial and pleasant high, their hallucinations are forever made worse. People who are already at risk for mental illnesses have been known to be pushed over the edge by marijuana abuse, such as going from schizoaffective disorder to full blown schizophrenia. According to research conducted by The Maastricht University Medical Center in the Netherlands, schizophrenics are also far more sensitive to the positive and negative aspects of the drug. These findings might explain why schizophrenics who are marijuana users require more hospitalization, respond less well to medication and have more trouble with memory tests.
Around 50% of people with schizophrenia abuse alcohol, marijuana or cocaine, thereby making their symptoms all the worse. Abstainers however get along far better than users and in fact, behave no more violently than the rest of the population. I don't think we need tougher drug laws and I would never say that drugs lead one down the path of damnation, but we should recognize that just as people with a family history of diabetes should make an extra effort to watch what they eat and people who are pale should limit their time in the sun, people with a family history of psychosis should avoid engaging in behaviors that alter their minds irreparably. Consciousness expansion is desirable for those of us who were born with brains that more or less function normally, but for those who already have a hard time recognizing fact from fiction, this can alter ones life permanently and for the worse. Taking PCP might be a powerful and worthwhile experience, but living that way forever most certainly isn't.
