Depersonalization and agoraphobia associated with marijuana use.
C Moran
British Journal of Medical Psychology June 1, 1986 DOI: 10.1111/j.2044-8341.1986.tb02684.x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case series Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 6 |
| Population | Agoraphobia patients who experienced depersonalization associated with marijuana use |
| Intervention | cognitive-behavioural treatment programme |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Key findings | Uncontrolled depersonalization associated with marijuana use may contribute to the development of agoraphobia, with cases showing slightly greater severity and younger onset than typical clinic patients. |
Abstract
This paper examines the role of uncontrolled depersonalization associated with marijuana use in the development of agoraphobia. Cases of six people are described, all of whom reported first experiencing depersonalization while using marijuana, and subsequently experiencing depersonalization while not using the drug. A fear of this 'uncontrolled' depersonalization resulted in considerable anticipatory anxiety and panic attacks. Patients ultimately presented for treatment of agoraphobia. A temporal relationship between marijuana use, uncontrolled depersonalization, panic attacks and agoraphobia does not imply causality. Comparison of these cases with other agoraphobia clinic patients provides tentative evidence for a difference between the two types of patients. There were no systematic patterns of stressors in the cases prior to the onset of symptoms. Data obtained before and after treatment indicated the cases were slightly more severe than clinic patients. Males and females were represented equally in the cases, whereas there was a higher incidence of females in the clinic patients. The cases' age of onset was younger than that of the clinic patients. Our standard cognitive-behavioural treatment programme required modification to account for the intensity of the fear of depersonalization in the cases.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on cannabis, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychotic Reactions Following Cannabis Use in East Indians Patients at an Indian drug addiction clinic who developed acute cannabis-related psychosis | 1974 | Descriptive report (case series of clinical observations) | n = 200 |
| Psychiatric effects of cannabis use Swedish cases of cannabis psychosis | 1985 | Case series | n = 70 |
| Forty-Six Cases of Psychosis in Cannabis Abusers Gunila Bernhardson Habitual cannabis users treated for psychosis at Swedish psychiatric clinics and mental... | 1972 | Case series (retrospective survey of psychiatric records) | n = 46 |
| Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder after psilocybin consumption: a case study 18-year-old man with HPPD after mixed psilocybin and cannabis intoxication | 2005 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Cannabis‐induced Koro in Americans American men aged 22-26 with years of cannabis experience who reported negative... | 2001 | Case series | n = 3 |