Chemical Psychoses

Abstract

Despite the ancient roots of chemical psychoses, the peak of current interest in them undoubtedly has followed the recent considerable success of drug therapy for schizophrenia. More and more it seems possible that the inscrutable "functional" psychoses can be explained in biochemical terms, as so many equally mysterious illnesses have recently been elucidated. Similarly, drugs have been used throughout much of recorded history for enhancing mystical experience, a use currently undergoing a revival. It remains to be seen whether either of these facets of chemical psychoses will reflect a new truth.