Disulfiram (Antabuse) Psychosis

A case of disulfiram psychosis is presented; the patient also had grand mal convulsions even though he had no prior history of epilepsy.

The literature on disulfiram psychoses is reviewed, and it is pointed out that there is little conformity among different authors in their use of this term. For the sake of clarity, the 52 cases previously reported as psychoses secondary to disulfiram ingestion are classified into three groups. In both Group I and Group II, delirium is present. However, in the latter group the psychosis is complicated by other symptoms, such as depression, paranoid ideations, or manic behavior. Group III consists of those psychoses without delirium.

The evidence that disulfiram does have a deleterious effect on the central nervous system of some individuals is discussed. Also presented is the evidence that psychogenic factors contribute to the genesis of these psychoses, particularly in the cases of Group II and Group III.