INTERPRETATION Continued cannabis use after onset of psychosis predicts adverse outcome , including higher relapse rates , longer hospital admissions , and more severe positive symptoms than for individuals who discontinue cannabis use and those who are non-users .
BACKGROUND Although the link between cannabis use and development of psychosis is well established , less is known about the effect of continued versus discontinued cannabis use after the onset of psychosis .
We aim ed to summarise available evidence focusing on the relationship between continued and discontinued cannabis use after onset of psychosis and its relapse .
Is cannabis an anti-antipsychotic? The experience in psychiatric intensive care.
BACKGROUND Cannabis use is a major problem in inner cities and has been causally implicated in psychosis . Very few of the available hospital-based studies of the implication s of cannabis usage have involved psychiatric intensive care units ( PICU ) ; but PICU receive many of the most challenging and re source -hungry- and incompletely understood- patients in the mental health system . AIMS To study the clinical impact of cannabis abuse in a PICU , and to compare the use of atypical and typical antipsychotics in this setting . METHOD 115 patients admitted to a PICU consented to take part in an open label naturalistic study .  BPRS , TCI-240 , weight , length of admission and routine bloods were evaluated in all participants . RESULTS There was a high rate of cannabis abuse ( 71.3 % ) in the PICU population . Patients who abused cannabis spent longer in PICU because their psychoses were more severe . They were younger at first hospital admission . Cannabis also had metabolic implication s , with higher blood glucose levels at admission and greater weight increase .  Atypical antipsychotics were effective in treating psychosis in patients positive to cannabis at admission . CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that cannabis abusers had a more severe psychotic illness , especially in schizophrenia . There are additional complications in terms of weight gain for cannabis users
INTERPRETATION Continued cannabis use after onset of psychosis predicts adverse outcome , including higher relapse rates , longer hospital admissions , and more severe positive symptoms than for individuals who discontinue cannabis use and those who are non-users .
BACKGROUND Although the link between cannabis use and development of psychosis is well established , less is known about the effect of continued versus discontinued cannabis use after the onset of psychosis .
We aim ed to summarise available evidence focusing on the relationship between continued and discontinued cannabis use after onset of psychosis and its relapse .