The Brown University Child & Adolescent Psychopharmacology Update
June 25, 2025
Alison Knopf
Researchers looked at a common alteration in the dopamine system to investigate the mechanism possibly linking cannabis use and schizophrenia.
The Brown University Child & Adolescent Psychopharmacology Update
September 12, 2024
Alison Knopf
1 citation
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not accept the application of Lykos Therapeutics for MDMA as a treatment for post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In a letter dated Aug. 9 and released by Lykos Therapeutics, the for‐profit arm of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), the company stated that it is disappointed in the FDA response, but that it intends to...
The Brown University Child & Adolescent Psychopharmacology Update
February 10, 2022
Alison Knopf
The January issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry (AJP) focuses on the interactions between alcohol use, cannabis use, substance use disorders (SUDs), and other psychiatric illnesses. One of the biggest questions for clinicians treating patients with first‐episode psychosis when cannabis has been involved is the chicken‐and‐egg question — was the psychosis brought on by cannabis use or...
The Brown University Child & Adolescent Psychopharmacology Update
September 1, 2020
Alison Knopf
Telling the difference between primary psychosis, cannabis intoxication, and cannabis‐induced psychosis is challenging but important, especially now that it's known that almost 50% of cannabis‐induced psychosis precedes primary psychosis. A fictional case study reported in Paediatrics & Child Health makes these challenges come to life. But the purpose of the case study is only as an...
The Brown University Child & Adolescent Psychopharmacology Update
November 1, 2019
The recent approval of esketamine (Spravato) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has raised many questions for psychiatrists who treat major depression, and even bigger questions for child psychiatrists. It's not approved for pediatric use by the FDA, but that doesn't mean it can't be prescribed off‐label.
The Brown University Child & Adolescent Psychopharmacology Update
May 1, 2019
Daily use of marijuana (cannabis) is associated with a greater than three times increased risk of psychotic disorder compared to never users, according to a study published in the March 19 issue of Lancet Psychiatry. This risk increased to nearly five times if high‐potency cannabis was used. Across the 11 sites included in the study, if high‐potency cannabis were not available, 12.2% of cases...
The Brown University Child & Adolescent Psychopharmacology Update
September 1, 2018
With more moves toward legalization of recreational cannabis, there is concern about adverse effects, including a possible link between cannabis use and psychosis. “Association of Cannabis Use with Adolescent Psychotic Symptoms,” a research letter published in JAMA Psychiatry, reports that there is a positive link between psychosis symptoms and cannabis use, with the cannabis use coming first.
The Brown University Child & Adolescent Psychopharmacology Update
September 1, 2017
Ketamine has been used effectively for adults with major depressive disorder (MDD), studies have found. Although results of the medication, which is administered via infusion, only last a few days, some research suggests that treatments three times a week may prolong the effects.