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A Study of Benzhexol Abuse

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

John A. Crawshaw  and
Paul E. Mullen
John A. Crawshaw
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Medicine, Otago Hospital Board, Dunedin, New Zealand
Paul E. Mullen
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago Medical School, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Summary

The occasional abuse of anticholinergic drugs for their psychotropic and specifically hallucinogenic properties has been known for over a century, but benzhexol (trihexyphenidyl) abuse has only recently attracted attention in the literature, mainly in case reports. This paper reports on a study of 21 benzhexol abusers. They were a young, single, and disadvantaged group of poyldrug abusers with poor employment, educational, and social skills, who abused benzhexol mainly for its euphorogenic properties. The two major diagnostic categories were antisocial personality disorder and schizophrenia. An unexpected finding was cognitive impairment persisting after acute intoxication.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 145 , Issue 3 , September 1984 , pp. 300 - 303
Copyright
Copyright © 1984 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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