Sociodemographic and clinical profile of cannabis-induced psychosis

Background: Cannabis is the most widely used drug in the world. An association between cannabis use and mental illness, in particular psychotic illness, was recognized since long. Various cultures have traditionally used cannabis for different purposes, and continuous increasing use of cannabis is promoting psychosis also.

Aim: The present study has tried to identify the differences in profile between the two groups and thus proposing possible variables underlying cannabis and psychosis.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive hospital-based study included 50 consecutive cannabis-using patients with psychosis and equal number of age-matched patients with schizophrenia but no cannabis intake. Permission was taken from the institutional ethics committee. All subjects gave written informed consent. Detailed history regarding psychotic symptoms and different parameters of cannabis use were collected from the key informant as well as the patients in the ward. Both the groups' psychotic symptoms were assessed using scale for assessment of the positive symptoms.

Results: There is no significant difference between both the groups with respect to age. Cannabis-using patients with psychosis showed high symptomatology in the areas of pressure of speech, distractible speech, and clanging. On the other hand, patients with schizophrenia but no cannabis intake showed high symptomatology in the areas of derailment, incoherence, illogicality, and global rating of positive formal thought disorder.

Conclusion: Continuous heavy use of cannabis can induce a psychotic disorder distinct from acute schizophrenia. Cannabis-induced psychosis has distinct demographic, premorbid, and clinical features.