The association of cannabis use on inpatient psychiatric hospital outcomes.
Melanie Rylander, Helena R Winston, Haley Medlin, Madelyne Hull, Abraham Nussbaum
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 2018 DOI: 10.1080/00952990.2017.1329313 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 120 |
| Population | Patients admitted to Denver Health with psychotic symptoms between April 20, 2015 and October 20, 2015; 29 women and 91 men |
| Measures | Length of stay, 30-day readmission, 30-day post-discharge presentation to the Denver Health psychiatric emergency department, Brief Psychotic Rating Scale (BPRS), use of antipsychotics and/or sedatives/anxiolytics |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Keywords | Inpatient psychiatry Psychosis |
| Key findings | Patients testing positive for THC-COOH had a shorter length of stay than those testing negative, after adjusting for age, prior psychiatric admissions, history of a psychotic-spectrum disorder, and comorbid additional substance use. No differences were found in 30-day readmissions, 30-day post-discharge psychiatric emergency department presentation, BPRS scores, or medication administration. The authors argue this is the first study to quantify the observation. |
Abstract
The associations between cannabis use and psychosis are well documented in numerous studies. There is a need to evaluate the impact of cannabis use on inpatient psychiatric utilization and outcomes. To evaluate the impact of cannabis use on psychiatric hospital outcomes. This study was conducted between April 20, 2015 and October 20, 2015. All patients (n = 120) admitted to Denver Health with psychotic symptoms were administered a urine toxicology screening testing for the presence of 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC-COOH, the active metabolite of cannabis). Patients with positive tests were compared to those with negative tests on several measures, including length of stay, presence or lack of 30-day readmission, Brief Psychotic Rating Scale (BPRS) score, and use of antipsychotics and/or sedatives/anxiolytics. There were 120 patients. Twenty nine were women and 91 were men. Patients testing positive for THC-COOH had a shorter length of stay compared to patients testing negative for THC-COOH, after adjusting for age, prior psychiatric admissions, history of a psychotic-spectrum disorder, and comorbid additional substance use (p = 0.02). There were no differences in 30-day readmissions, 30-day post-discharge presentation to the Denver Health psychiatric emergency department, BPRS scores, and medication administration. Patients presenting with psychotic symptoms and cannabis use require shorter inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations. This study is the first to quantify this observation and highlights the need for future clinical decision-making tools that would ideally correlate cannabis use with the degree of potential need for expensive and scarce mental health resources, such as psychiatric hospitalization.
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 |
Citations in the library
Cites 8
- Cannabidiol, a Cannabis sativa constituent, as an antipsychotic drug Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research April 1, 2006
- Human Laboratory Studies on Cannabinoids and Psychosis. Biological Psychiatry April 1, 2016
- Effects of continuation, frequency, and type of cannabis use on relapse in the first 2 years after onset of psychosis: an observational study. The Lancet Psychiatry October 1, 2016
- Association Between Cannabis and Psychosis: Epidemiologic Evidence. Biological Psychiatry April 1, 2016
- Cannabis and Psychosis: a Critical Overview of the Relationship. Current Psychiatry Reports February 1, 2016
and 3 more in the library