Characteristics of with drawal symptoms in people addicted to the use of synthetic canna-binoids (“spice”)

The paper presents data describing the clinics of withdrawal symptoms caused by the use of synthetic cannabinoids («Spice»), emerged in postpsychotic period in patients hospitalized in a psychiatric ward. Abstinence syndrome is divided into three stages according to clinical manifestations. Four types of the course of withdrawal symptoms -asthenic-depressive, dysphoric, anxious-phobic and mixed were identified. It is noted that the difference between the variants of course of abstinence from each other is not only the predominance of that or another affect, but also features of locomotor activity, the severity of the impact of volitional decline for course and peculiarity of thought disorders. Physical symptoms of withdrawal symptoms caused by the use of synthetic cannabinoids (irrespective from the variant of course) are similar to the symptoms of the use of non-synthetic cannabinoids. A distinctive feature of the course of withdrawal symptoms caused by the use of synthetic cannabinoids is to reduce the time of its formation, as opposed to abstinence syndrome, caused by use of non-synthetic cannabinoids. It was found that the highest likelihood of transition to a transient psychotic state is typical in case of course of withdrawal syndrome according to anxiety-phobic variant. For postpsychotic states the asthenic-depressive variant of the course of withdrawal syndrome is most likely.