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Differences in cannabis-related experiences between patients with a first episode of psychosis and controls

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 December 2015

F. Bianconi ,
M. Bonomo ,
A. Marconi ,
A. Kolliakou ,
S. A. Stilo ,
C. Iyegbe ,
P. Gurillo Muñoz ,
S. Homayoun ,
V. Mondelli  and
S. Luzi
...Show all authors
F. Bianconi
Affiliation:
Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
M. Bonomo*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
A. Marconi
Affiliation:
Department of Paediatrics and Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, ‘Sapienza’ University of Rome, Rome, Italy
A. Kolliakou
Affiliation:
Biomedical Research Centre Nucleus, King's College London, London, UK
S. A. Stilo
Affiliation:
Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
C. Iyegbe
Affiliation:
Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
P. Gurillo Muñoz
Affiliation:
Hospital Marina Baixa, Alicante, Spain
S. Homayoun
Affiliation:
Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
V. Mondelli
Affiliation:
Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
S. Luzi
Affiliation:
Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
P. Dazzan
Affiliation:
Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
D. Prata
Affiliation:
Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
C. La Cascia
Affiliation:
Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neuroscience, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
J. O'Connor
Affiliation:
Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
A. David
Affiliation:
Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
C. Morgan
Affiliation:
Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
R. M. Murray
Affiliation:
Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
M. Lynskey
Affiliation:
Addiction Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
M. Di Forti
Affiliation:
Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
*
* Address for correspondence: M. Bonomo, Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK. (Email: [email protected])
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Abstract

Background

Many studies have reported that cannabis use increases the risk of a first episode of psychosis (FEP). However, only a few studies have investigated the nature of cannabis-related experiences in FEP patients, and none has examined whether these experiences are similar in FEP and general populations. The aim of this study was to explore differences in self-reported cannabis experiences between FEP and non-psychotic populations.

Method

A total of 252 subjects, who met International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 criteria for FEP, and 217 controls who reported cannabis use were selected from the Genetics and Psychosis (GAP) study. The Medical Research Council Social Schedule and the Cannabis Experience Questionnaire were used to collect sociodemographic data and cannabis use information, respectively.

Results

Both ‘bad’ and ‘enjoyable’ experiences were more commonly reported by FEP subjects than controls. Principal components factor analysis identified four components which explained 62.3% of the variance. Linear regression analysis on the whole sample showed that the type of cannabis used and beliefs about the effect of cannabis on health all contributed to determining the intensity and frequency of experiences. Linear regression analysis on FEP subjects showed that the duration of cannabis use and amount of money spent on cannabis were strongly related to the intensity and frequency of enjoyable experiences in this population.

Conclusions

These results suggest a higher sensitivity to cannabis effects among people who have suffered their first psychotic episode; this hypersensitivity results in them reporting both more ‘bad’ and ‘enjoyable’ experiences. The greater enjoyment experienced may provide an explanation of why FEP patients are more likely to use cannabis and to continue to use it despite experiencing an exacerbation of their psychotic symptoms.

Keywords

CannabisCannabis Experience Questionnaireexperiencesfirst episode of psychosispsychosis
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 46 , Issue 5 , April 2016 , pp. 995 - 1003
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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