Cannabis and acute psychosis.
P K McGuire, P Jones, I Harvey, P Bebbington, B Toone, S Lewis, R M Murray
Schizophrenia research September 1, 1994 DOI: 10.1016/0920-9964(94)90097-3 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPsychotic patients who tested positive for cannabis and those who did not were indistinguishable in their psychopathology, diagnoses, illness onset, and demographic backgrounds. The only difference was in substance use history. This suggests that psychosis occurring alongside cannabis use does not have a distinctive presentation or onset pattern and is not limited to any specific ethnic or socioeconomic group, offering little support for 'cannabis psychosis' as a separate diagnostic category.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 69 |
| Population | Psychotic patients |
| Key finding | Psychosis in cannabis-positive patients does not differ in psychopathology, diagnosis, or onset from psychosis in drug-free controls, providing little evidence for a distinct 'cannabis psychosis' entity. |
Abstract
The Present State Examination was used to assess the psychopathology of 23 psychotic patients who were cannabis positive on urinary screening, and 46 matched drug-free controls. Cases and controls were indistinguishable in terms of psychopathology, DSMIII diagnoses, onset of recent illness, the proportion of first admissions, ethnicity, and socio-economic class, differing only in their histories of substance use. These data suggest that psychosis which develops or recurs in the context of cannabis use does not have a characteristic psychopathology or mode of onset, and is not restricted to a particular ethnic or socio-demographic group. There is thus little evidence to support the validity of 'cannabis psychosis' as a diagnostic entity.