A Systematic Review of Clinical Phenomenology, Differential Diagnosis and Prognostic Outcomes of Substance-Induced Psychotic Disorders

BACKGROUND: Distinguishing substance-induced psychotic disorders (SIPD) from primary psychotic disorders with concurrent substance use remains a critical diagnostic challenge for treatment planning and prognostic counseling. OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the clinical phenomenology of SIPD, identify distinguishing symptom patterns, and examine relationships between phenomenology and outcomes. METHODS: A systematic search of PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science (1990-2025) was conducted for studies examining clinical characteristics of SIPD using standardized diagnostic criteria and validated instruments. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The review was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42025123563; 19/11/2025). RESULTS: Thirty-six studies encompassing over 80,000 individuals were included. Cannabis-induced psychosis was consistently characterized by prominent positive symptoms, preserved negative domains, and elevated affective and anxiety features, with transition rates to schizophrenia spectrum disorders ranging from 36% to 46%. Methamphetamine-induced psychosis presented along a phenomenological gradient, from simple persecutory delusions and tactile hallucinations in transient cases-accompanied by markedly elevated violence rates (75.6%)-to complex multimodal sensory disturbances in persistent presentations. Despite these substance-specific signatures, substantial phenomenological overlap with primary psychotic disorders and poor diagnostic stability, with 25% to 39% of initial SIPD diagnoses converting to primary disorders over follow-up, limit the utility of cross-sectional assessment alone. Superior antipsychotic response at lower doses emerged as a potential marker favoring substance-induced over primary etiology. CONCLUSIONS: SIPD exhibit distinctive phenomenological signatures varying by substance class, yet considerable overlap with primary psychotic disorders and poor diagnostic stability underscore the necessity of longitudinal monitoring and integrated psychiatric-addiction care.