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Cannabis psychosis and acute schizophrenia. a case-control study from India.

D Basu, Anita S Malhotra, Anumeha Bhagat, V K Varma

European Addiction Research June 1, 1999 DOI: 10.1159/000018968 (opens in new tab)

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AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Case-control study using retrospective chart review Peer reviewed
Sample size 40
Population Patients with cannabis psychosis or acute schizophrenic episode in India
Topics Cannabis
Key findings Cannabis psychosis may be nosologically distinct from schizophrenia, with shorter duration, reactive affect, and relapse always preceded by cannabis use.

Abstract

Twenty cases of cannabis psychosis were compared with a control group of 20 patients with 'acute schizophrenic episode' on a number of demographic, clinical, illness-related and outcome variables in a case-control study design using a retrospective chart review. The two groups were comparable on demographic, past and family histories of mental illness, premorbid personality, psychomotor activity, Schneiderian first-rank symptoms and mild cognitive deficits. The cases, in contrast to the control group, had a psychosis of shorter duration characterized by reactive and congruent affect, relative absence of schizophrenic formal thought disorder and a predominantly polymorphic clinical picture. Relapse was always preceded by cannabis use. This study suggests that, in spite of certain overlaps, 'cannabis psychosis' may still be considered nosologically distinct from schizophrenia in India. The implication of the study is that the role of cannabis in any acute psychosis should be investigated carefully so as to prevent an overdiagnosis of schizophrenia.

Comparable studies

Other observational and cohort studies on cannabis, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
High-potency cannabis and the risk of psychosis People with first episode of psychosis and healthy controls from the local population 2009 Case-control study n = 454
Ayahuasca-Assisted Therapy for Addiction: Results from a Preliminary Observational Study in Canada Rural aboriginal population 2013 Observational study
Impaired cognitive performance in drug free users of recreational ecstasy (MDMA) Otherwise healthy young people 2000 Observational
Continued cannabis use and risk of incidence and persistence of psychotic symptoms: 10 year follow-up cohort study Individuals from the general population in Germany aged 14-24 at baseline 2011 Observational cohort n = 1,923
Cannabis-induced psychosis and subsequent schizophrenia-spectrum disorders: follow-up study of 535 incident cases Patients treated for cannabis-induced psychotic symptoms in Denmark between 1994 and... 2005 Observational cohort n = 535

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