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First break psychosis in a young military veteran with cannabis use disorder: an educational case report

Paulina Riess, Leo Sher

International journal of adolescent medicine and health August 18, 2020 DOI: 10.1515/ijamh-2017-0140 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Case study Case report Peer reviewed
Sample size 1
Population A young non-combat veteran with obstructive sleep apnea presenting with a first psychotic break
Topics Cannabis
Key findings The authors suggest that cannabis plays an important role in the regulation of psychosis and behavior, based on a case of a young non-combat veteran with obstructive sleep apnea and a first psychotic break whose urine toxicology was positive for cannabis.

Abstract

Abstract: Psychotropic management of a first psychotic break is challenging for many psychiatrists. The literature shows that the use of cannabis is widespread in psychotic individuals. The literature also points to young males being most at risk for substance abuse. Studies also show that obstructive sleep apnea and the stress of the military lifestyle contribute to the development of psychosis. Here, we present a case study of a young non-combat veteran with a medical history of obstructive sleep apnea who presented to the Emergency Department of a Veteran’s Affairs hospital with symptoms consistent with a first psychotic break. On routine admission laboratory work, his urine toxicology screen was positive for cannabis. Given the widespread use of cannabis in individuals with psychosis, we suggest that it plays an important role in the regulation of psychosis and behavior.

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

Citations in the library

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