Does the roll out of the vaccine against the Novel Corona Virus mark the beginning of the end of this pandemic, given the promising results with respect to the efficacy and safety of the available vaccines? (1,2) The answer to this rather simplistic question is not so straightforward. The bitter fight against this deadly virus has a long way to go. The reasons for this are multiple. The buzz and the excitement surrounding the newly developed vaccines against COVID-19 are tempered, in the public's mindscape, with apprehension about their efficacy and adverse effects.The apprehension stems primarily from the bombardment of information, mostly unverified, that we are all subjected to, on the social media platforms. In fact, the present pandemic differs from the ones which have ravaged the mankind in the past, in one vital aspect, that is, the ever increasing reach of the social media. Unfortunately, the dynamics of social media are quite different from the dynamics of propagating accurate knowledge. This is clearly evident from the facts that even the savviest internet users get attracted by flamboyant headlines with sensational content generating more user engagement. As a result of the content personalization algorithms, which the companies operating these platforms employ, it is possible to repeatedly expose people to the same content even on the basis of disinformation.It is for this very reason that the social media accounts held by the so-called "Anti-vaxxers" have increased their following by a whopping 7.8 million people ever since the first case of COVID-19 was detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in November 2019. (3) As much as 31 million
IntroductionTrifluoperazine, a typical antipsychotic, has been frequently used in psychotic disorders for many years. Sudden discontinuation of trifluoperazine is known to cause relapse of psychotic symptoms in patients suffering from major psychosis.The Case HistoryMr P, a 34 years old male, professor of physics, was admitted on August 12, 2014, his fourth admission in the last one year, with chief complaints of extreme restlessness, tremors of the hands and blurring of vision for two days prior admission. The patient had been taking 12-16 tablets of a combination of trifluoperazine 5mg and trihexyphenidyl 2mg for about one week prior to his hospitalization.The patient described experiencing a feeling of numbness once he took the aforementioned tablets which 'insulated' him from problems at home. He reported experiencing severe restlessness and anxiety if he did not take the tablets.The patient was diagnosed as suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder one year back when he had presented with chief complaints of recurrent disturbing thoughts as to whether he had kept his car keys in a particular pocket and whether he had locked his car or not. To relieve the extreme anxiety provoked by these thoughts, he would be compelled to carry out checking compulsions. He was started at that time onParoxetine and a combination of trifluoperazine and trihexyphenidyl. The recurrent thoughts and compulsive acts were relieved in about a month. He stopped taking paroxetine of his own but continued taking the combination of trifluoperazine and trihexyphenidyl following which he was hospitalized with us.DiscussionThere have been sporadic reports of addiction to antipsychotic drugs, including trihexyphenydyl, risperidone and quetiapine. Most of them are associated with a typical withdrawal syndrome on sudden stoppage of antipsychotic drug in question which is the prime reason behind the patient taking to the antipsychotic drug again. Most of the patients were known cases of schizophrenia or another long term psychotic illness. The case presented here is unique in the sense that the patient does not suffer from any psychotic illness.ConclusionObviously, the problem of addiction is complex. This case points to the need for a fresh research into the mechanisms leading to dependence to a particular drug.
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