The LSD syndrome. A review.

lsd (lysergic acid diethylamide) is a powerful bio-active substance related to serotonin in structure. Its actions generally affect autonomic, sensory and psychological functions. Autonomic stimulation is varied. Sensory responses are usually visual, involving heightened and distorted color perception and fusion of sensory impressions. Psychological responses include a feeling that a unique experience is occurring; feelings of depersonalization; pronounced fluctuation of mood; time and space distortions; autistic phenomena; fluctuation of aggressive drives (usually reduction); and spontaneous reoccurrence of the lsd experience. THE SUBJECTIVE RESPONSES CAN BE RELATED TO THREE BASIC PHENOMENA: (1) expectation; (2) loss of characteristic modes of perceptual and cognitive patterning; and (3) hypersuggestibility. THE MAJOR ADVERSE REACTIONS ARE: (1) chronic drug dependence including subsequent personality changes and depressive reactions; and (2) acute ego dissolution. These reactions usually occur in already emotionally ill people. Most of these users fall into two groups, those with unresolved identity problems and those with severe ego abnormality. The majority of adverse reactions are of the chronic drug dependence type and are usually seen in adolescents and young adults who have not negotiated the age-appropriate tasks of forming and integrating the various identities that are the composite of their life experiences.lsd helps alleviate these stresses via some of its psychological properties as discussed. It also provides a nidus for the formation of a subculture where goals for social, sexual and vocational achievement are lower and idiosyncratic modes of adaptation are better tolerated. A smaller group of users who have serious reactions such as psychosis, rage reactions, homicidal and suicidal ideation are usually found to have preexisting ego abnormality such as ambulatory schizophrenia, chronic impulse disorders and borderline states. Although adverse reactions most often appear to be related to pre-morbid psychopathology, this is not invariably so. Further, there is as yet no reliable method to determine who will have an adverse reaction and what the nature of that reaction will be.