Phenomenology of Adolescent Inhalant Intoxication

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.