Phenomenology of adolescent inhalant intoxication.
Eric L Garland, Matthew O Howard
Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology December 1, 2010 DOI: 10.1037/a0021737 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Structured interview study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 267 |
| Population | Low-, moderate-, and high-frequency adolescent inhalant users |
| Measures | structured interview |
| Topics | Depression Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Humans Chest pain Data collection Affect Euphoria Interview, psychological Adolescent Female Pleasure Inhalant abuse Suicidal ideation |
| Key points | Low-frequency inhalant users reported predominantly pleasurable intoxication experiences, while high-frequency users reported a mixture of pleasurable and unpleasant experiences. High-frequency users commonly reported depressed mood, suicidal ideation, and chest pain, and reported significantly more euphoria, talkativeness, and grandiosity than low-frequency users. |
Abstract
Although volatile substance inhalation is prevalent in many contexts and presents a serious threat to public health, this pernicious form of substance misuse remains poorly understood. The question of why people seek and misuse inhalants may be addressed by examining phenomenological accounts of inhalant intoxication, yet few investigations of inhalant intoxication experiences are reported in the literature. This investigation employed a structured interview to assess inhalant intoxication experiences of 267 low-, moderate-, and high-frequency inhalant users. Low-frequency inhalant users reported predominately hedonic experiences during inhalant intoxication, whereas high-frequency users reported a mixture of hedonic and aversive experiences. Aversive experiences such as depressed mood, suicidal ideation, and chest pain were commonly reported by high-frequency users but were relatively rare among low-frequency users. High-frequency users also experienced significantly more euphoria, talkativeness, and grandiosity during inhalant intoxication than low-frequency users. Hedonic and aversive experiences during episodes of inhalant intoxication are relatively common among high-frequency adolescent inhalant users.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualitative thematic analysis of the phenomenology of near-death experiences Cardiac arrest survivors | 2018 | Qualitative study | n = 34 |
| Phenomenology and Sequelae of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Use Psychiatrists who had taken MDMA | 1992 | Qualitative study | n = 20 |
| A phenomenology of meditation-induced light experiences: traditional buddhist and neurobiological perspectives American Buddhist practitioners | 2014 | Qualitative study | |
| Evoking the ineffable: The phenomenology of extreme sports. Extreme sports participants across three continents, including BASE jumping, big wave... | 2017 | Qualitative study | n = 15 |
| Phenomenology and content of the inhaled N, N-dimethyltryptamine (N, N-DMT) experience. Naturalistic inhaled N,N-DMT experiences posted to the r/DMT Reddit community | 2022 | Qualitative analysis | n = 3,778 |
Citations in the library
Cites 3
- "MODEL PSYCHOSIS" PRODUCED BY INHALATION OF GASOLINE FUMES American Journal of Psychiatry February 1, 1964
- Within-subject comparison of the subjective and psychomotor effects of a gaseous anesthetic and two volatile anesthetics in healthy volunteers. Drug and Alcohol Dependence January 4, 2006
- Subjective, psychomotor, cognitive, and analgesic effects of subanesthetic concentrations of sevoflurane and nitrous oxide. Anesthesiology November 1, 1997