# Does drinking seawater cause insanity? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 18, 2004, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-seawater-cause-insanity/269924 "2004-10-18T22:32:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![shortnsweet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@shortnsweet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shortnsweet)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-seawater-cause-insanity/269924/1 "2004-10-18T22:32:17Z")
I’ve heard that drinking seawater can make you go mad, but I personally have never actually heard of this happening to anybody (except for the sailor in The Ryme of the Ancient Mariner). Is this true? Would it be a direct result of dehydration from the high salt content, or is it something else? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-seawater-cause-insanity/269924/2 "2004-10-18T22:40:46Z")
It’s the effect of dehydration and the fact that you’re gulping down stuff that only makes you thirstier and thirstier. As your blood gets overloaded with sodium, delerium sets in, and eventually, death. [hypernatremia](http://www.ehendrick.org/healthy/000690.htm) QtM, MD ---
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-drinking-seawater-cause-insanity/269924/3 "2004-10-18T22:58:22Z")
Quite the opposite, it causes salinity.