Daily use of high-potency cannabis is associated with more positive symptoms and fewer negative symptoms in first-episode psychosis patients. Among 901 patients and 1,235 controls across six European countries, those who used high-potency cannabis daily had the highest scores on positive symptoms, while negative symptoms were more common in patients who never used cannabis. Psychotic experiences in controls were linked to current cannabis use but not to lifetime use. Depressive symptoms showed no differences related to cannabis use in either group.
Mindfulness-based therapy (MBT) for people recently recovering from a first episode of psychosis appears feasible and does not significantly worsen psychotic symptoms. In a small pilot study, 13 of 16 participants completed eight 1-hour sessions over four weeks. No significant increase in psychotic symptoms occurred, and no participants reported increased awareness of intrusive thoughts or hallucinations. Agoraphobic symptoms and psychoneuroticism decreased. However, one participant initially misunderstood instructions, leading to increased distress. The therapy did not raise mindfulness levels. The authors caution that instructions must be clearly understood and call for larger randomized trials.