[Psychological problem due to long-term organic solvent abuse].

Abstract

Organic solvent abuse in adolescents has become a serious social problem. One of the reasons for this is the relationship to juvenile delinquency, and another is that it leads to various clinical symptoms including disturbance of consciousness, hallucinations, fantasia and apathy. In this study, using a health questionnaire that is composed of 33 psychiatric and 29 physical items and the Rorschach Test, we investigated these symptoms and the psychodynamics of personality respectively. The principal component analysis obtained for the health questionnaire extracted four factors as follows: 1) feelings of general fatigue and somatic symptoms, 2) feelings of guilt and self blame, 3) low self esteem and withdrawal adaptation, and 4) unreasonable anxiety and sleeping disturbance. The results of Rorschach Test supported the loss of libido, disability of reality testing and ego vulnerability in organic solvent abusers. This research strongly suggests that apathetic or depressive mood in chronic organic solvent abusers relates with loss of drive.