Clinical characteristics of cannabis-induced schizophrenia spectrum disorder
Zoltán Makkos, Lilla Fejes, Gabriella Inczédy-Farkas, Ákos Kassai-Farkas, Gábor Faludi, Judit Lazáry
Neuropsychopharmacologia Hungarica 2011 DOI: 10.5706/nph201109001 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Retrospective observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 85 |
| Population | Patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder, divided into those who regularly used cannabis for at least one year and those who did not |
| Topics | Cannabis |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | Among 85 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder, those who regularly used cannabis were more often men and younger, while non-users had more suicide attempts among men, longer hospital stays, and more frequent smoking. Positive and negative symptoms and family history did not differ significantly, but pharmacotherapy dosage, intensity, and length differed between groups. The authors suggest some clinical aspects of cannabis-related schizophrenia spectrum disorder may differ from schizophrenia. |
Abstract
Marijuana (cannabis) is the most commonly abused drug by adolescents and young adults and also by people with schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders. An increasing number of studies suggest that regular cannabis users can show psychotic episodes similar to schizophrenic disorders but it still unclear if cannabis induced psychotic disorder is a distinct entity requiring special therapy or regular cannabis use consequently leads to schizophrenia. Therefore, we retrospectively compared psychotic patients with and without cannabis use by clinical profile. Clinical data of 85 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder were analyzed retrospectively. Cannabis use was not reported by 43 persons (Cnbs0 subgroup) and 42 patients used regularly cannabis during at least 1 year (Cnbs1 subgroup). Clinical data were collected from electronic medical documentation of patients concerning anamnesis, family history, socio-demographic condition, symptoms and psychiatric state, acute and long-term therapies. Men were over-represented in the cannabis abuser group while mean age was lower among them compared to the Cnbs0 subgroup. Prevalence of suicidal attempts was increased in men without cannabis use. Patients without cannabis use spent more time in hospital and smoking was more frequent among them. Positive and negative symptoms and family history did not differ significantly between the two subgroups. Dosage, intensity and length of pharmacotherapy was different between the two subgroups. These results revealed that certain clinical aspects were different in case of cannabis-related schizophrenia spectrum disorder compared to 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 |