Psychosis due to excessive cannabis use?

Scientists disagree about cannabis effect

09/26/2013

Does the use of cannabis increase the risk of hallucinations and delusions? Yes, say many scientists who deal with the subject. On the other hand, new studies claim that the hemp plant can also be used to prevent psychosis.

Regular smoking can increase the risk of psychosis
Regular smoking increases the risk of psychosis - scientists are now largely in agreement. A psychosis is a severe mental illness characterized by a temporary loss of the sense of reality or delusions and hallucinations. Most commonly, this condition occurs in bipolar disorder or manic depression and schizophrenia. „This risk is approximately two to three times higher for cannabis users than for the general population, "says psychiatrist Patrik Roser from the LWL-Universitätsklinikum Bochum.

Dutch researchers are examining nearly 2,000 young people
Dutch researchers led by psychologists Jim van Os and Rebecca Kuepper from the University of Maastricht came to this conclusion two years ago as part of a cohort study involving a total of 1923 German adolescents and young adults (48% men) aged 14 to 24 years. The researchers had observed the study participants for over 10 years, „to determine whether the use of cannabis in adolescence increases the risk of psychotic illness“, according to the psychologists in their article in the online medical journal „British Medical Journal.“

Increased risk regardless of age and gender
The worrying result of the researchers: „Cannabis use significantly increases the risk of psychotic experiences. This relationship is independent of age, gender, socioeconomic status, use of other drugs, urban or rural environment and childhood trauma.“

Genetic disposition and biography could also play a role
However, cannabis does not seem to be the only factor that favors the development of psychosis. Instead, according to another study from 2011, especially those who have a genetic disposition or are more susceptible to psychosis because of their biography are at risk. So had a meta-analysis of Australian researchers around Dr. Matthew Large revealed, „that cannabis use can cause schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, possibly through an interaction between genetic and environmental factors“, so the scientists in their article in the medical journal „JAMA“.

Prevents cannabidiol ingredient even from psychosis?
Although the formula cannabis use = increased risk for psychosis seems plausible to the mentioned studies, but the whole thing is not so simple: it may sound paradoxical, but recent studies show that cannabis may also protect against psychosis. This is about the hemp ingredient „cannabidiol“ (CBD), a weakly psychoactive cannabinoid, which can, among other things, anticonvulsant, anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic and nausea. So the psychiatrist Patrik Roser came together with Dr. med. Ida S. Haussleiter in the context of a review from last year to the conclusion that the effectiveness of common psychosis drugs and isolated cannabidiol is comparable: „The results mostly confirm the hypothesis of antipsychotic activity of both cannabinoids“, Sun Roser in the abstract of his article in the magazine „Current Pharmaceutical Design“. (No)