Mumbai: Hallucination, paranoia, depression and loss of mind control are some effects of the drugs mentioned in the alleged drug chat of actor Rhea Chakraborty, which added a new twist to the death case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
Importantly, these effects fit right into the narrative around his mental health, be it his reported hallucinatory episode in Europe or his alleged struggle with depression.
In the WhatsApp chats made public, Rhea allegedly talked of using MDMA and also discussed marijuana.
"In case we speak about hard drugs, I haven't been doing too much. Tried MDMA once," she allegedly messaged a man named Gaurav Arya, asking him: "You have MD?"
A message sent to her by one Jaya Saha on November 25 last year read: "Use 4 drops in coffee, tea or water and let him sip it. Give it 30-40 minutes for it to kick in." It is being presumed that the "him" refers to Sushant.
According to doctors, MDMA is a psychotropic drug.
"MDMA is classified as a stimulant. Without making a reference to Sushant Singh Rajput as we can't ascertain right now, whether he was taking it or not, I can tell you that the drug works by increasing metabolism and neurochemicals. It is a psychoactive substance, one can feel more energetic, excited and also have hallucinatory experiences," doctor and director (Asia Pacific) at World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) Sunil Mittal told IANS.
"People report a crash when they come off the high and sometimes a moment of dullness. The effect starts with euphoria, happiness, rapid talking, perception changes and hallucinations. People feel more connected. Some of the psychological withdrawals include paranoia, depression and restlessness," added Mittal, who is also a director at Cosmos Institute of Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences (CIMBS).