Drugs That Devour the Brain... From Hallucinations to Delusions to Violence [News Inside 3]

Cocaine impairs judgment of reality
Increases impulsivity and induces aggressive behavior
Methamphetamine causes severe nervous system disruption
Abnormally increases hormone secretion

Why does drug addiction lead to a domino effect of crime?

Experts explain that it is because drugs damage the part of the human brain responsible for impulse control and moral judgment, going beyond temporary hallucinations or mood changes. As a result, people addicted to drugs experience distorted perception of reality and lose the ability to control their impulses, often leading to extreme behaviors. This forms a chain of secondary crimes related to drug addiction, such as rape, murder, and arson.

Kwon Joonsoo, a professor of psychiatry at Hanyang University Hospital, stated, "Drugs excessively stimulate the neurotransmitter dopamine, and especially when the function of the frontal lobe is impaired, a person's ability to inhibit impulses collapses, putting them in a state where they can commit acts they would never have done otherwise without hesitation."

Cocaine, a representative stimulant, blocks the reuptake of dopamine in the brain, causing intense excitement and confidence, while also clouding judgment of reality. This is the result of disruption in the brain's reward system. The US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) analyzes that continued use of cocaine increases impulsivity and impairs judgment, significantly raising the risk of aggressive and violent behavior. This is why cocaine users frequently appear in drug-related violent crimes.

Methamphetamine (Philopon) causes an even stronger disturbance in the nervous system. It abnormally increases the secretion of not only dopamine but also hormones such as serotonin and norepinephrine, inducing intense pleasure and, with repeated use, damaging the brain's emotional and judgment systems. According to research published in international journals, the brains of people who have used methamphetamine long-term show abnormally increased functional connectivity between the amygdala and the temporal lobe regions responsible for visual and auditory perception. This is considered scientific evidence that methamphetamine use can distort reality perception and emotional processing, increasing paranoia, anxiety, and aggressive impulses.

Such neurological changes can also cause methamphetamine users to lose control over sexual impulses. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have pointed out that Philopon users experience excessive responses to sexual stimuli and overconfidence, which can increase the risk of sex crimes.

Hallucinations and delusions caused by drugs can lead to paranoia and grandiosity, and eventually escalate into serious acts of violence. In cases of group use, resistance decreases, and impulsive behaviors are imitated among users, which can result in even more serious crimes. Noh Sungwon, a professor of psychiatry at Hanyang University, stated, "When multiple people use drugs together as a group, they can be stimulated by the actions of those around them."