Using Marijuana Can Induce Premature Schizophrenia
People who have ongoing psychotic incidents after smoking marijuana might exhibit premature signs of schizophrenia, researchers said Monday in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
"Cannabis-induced psychosis," where the person is out of touch with reality and the symptoms continue for 48 hours, is an already recognized psychiatric diagnosis, but it is divisive, Dr. Mikkel Arendt of Aarhus University in Risskov, Denmark, concludes.
There has not been much research done on the condition, and doctors have difficulties separating it from other psychiatric disorders or creating an exact list of symptoms by which to distinguish it.
In a prior study, Arendt and colleagues discovered that about half of the people who had an incident of cannabis-induced psychosis developed schizophrenia within the following six years.
In the present study, the researchers viewed the genetic roots of both circumstances by evaluating the family histories of 609 people treated for cannabis-induced psychosis and 6,476 who had previously been treated for schizophrenia or a related psychiatric situation.
They discovered that persons treated for post-pot smoking psychotic incidents had a similar chance of having a mother, sister or other "first-degree" relative with schizophrenia as did the individuals who had in fact been diagnosed with schizophrenia themselves.
This implies that cannabis-induced psychosis and schizophrenia is the exact same thing, the researchers state. "These people would have developed schizophrenia whether or not they used cannabis," Arendt explained.
Based on the discoveries, the researcher says, "cannabis-induced psychosis is probably not a valid diagnosis. It should be considered schizophrenia."
It’s "very common" for people to contract psychotic symptoms after using marijuana, like hearing voices, paranoid episodes, and other things, Arendt said. However, these symptoms are generally temporary. "It’s a very important distinction, this 48 hours criterion," he said.
Additional researchers have noted that pot smoking increases the risk of being diagnosed with schizophrenia. They also say that people who use marijuana regularly go on to develop schizophrenia and become psychotic sooner than people with the disease who do not use cannabis, Arendt added.
It’s imprecise if smoking marijuana causes schizophrenia or not, but should it, it is probably a steady process. Nonetheless, he said, "the consensus is pretty much you should not use cannabis if you want to avoid an increased risk of schizophrenia."
People who experience an extensive psychotic episode following using marijuana receive immediate help, Arendt advised. The symptoms could symbolize a chance for premature diagnosis and management of schizophrenia, he added, and the sooner people with the illness start treatment, the more improved their prospects become.
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