Prevalence of Psychosis and its Association with Cannabis Dependence Syndrome

Description

Page: 175-178

Bhupendra Singh¹, Upendra Singh², and Sweta³ (Department of Psychiatric Social Work, Institute of Mental Health, Pt. B D Sharma University of Health Sciences, Rohtak, Haryana¹, Department of Psychychiatric Social Work, CEIMH, ABVIMS, Dr. RML Hospital, New Delhi², and Department of Clinical Psychology, Chacha Neharu Bal Chikitsalay, Delhi³)

One may find it amusing that cannabis has been used traditionally in India since the Vedic period and texts of Ayurveda mention the use of cannabis. However, cannabis use has been linked with fundamental brain functioning and associated with anincreased risk of psychotic disorder. To assess the association between cannabis dependence syndrome and the prevalence of psychosis. The study was a cross-sectional hospital based study. The sample size comprised 260 individuals diagnosed with cannabis dependence syndrome, using purposive sampling techniques. Tools used were the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and Cannabis Use Disorder Identification Test. Study results show regular and high use of cannabis is associated with the prevalence of psychotic symptoms. The prevalence of psychosis among the selected individuals of cannabis users was highly prone than among the general population in India. Cannabis dependence syndrome is a particularly high risk group for psychotic disorders.