1. Cannabis, psychosis and schizophrenia: unravelling a complex interaction.
- Author
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Hamilton, Ian
- Subjects
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CANNABIS (Genus) , *SCHIZOPHRENIA risk factors , *DOSE-response relationship in biochemistry , *MENTAL health , *PUBLIC health , *PHYSIOLOGICAL effects of drug abuse? , *MOOD (Psychology) , *HISTORY of medical research , *MEDICAL research , *DISEASE risk factors - Abstract
The relationship between cannabis and psychosis and schizophrenia has tested the field of addiction for decades, and in some ways serves as measure of our ability to provide a credible contribution to public health. As cannabis is used widely, many people are interested in the risks the drug poses to mental health. This paper focuses upon a seminal study examining this, the trajectory of subsequent research findings and what this has meant for understanding and communicating risk factor information. These studies provided evidence of a dose-response relationship between cannabis and psychosis, and that for those individuals with schizophrenia cannabis exacerbated their symptoms. The findings fit with a multi-causal model in which vulnerability interacts with a precipitating agent to produce a disease outcome. Even though this is a common model in epidemiology, it has proved difficult to communicate it in this case. This may be because at a population level the increased risk is weak and the vulnerabilities relatively rare. It may also be because people bring strongly held preconceptions to interpreting a complex multi-causal phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2017
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