PMID- 34688166 OWN - NLM STAT- MEDLINE DCOM- 20220110 LR - 20220110 IS - 1879-0046 (Electronic) IS - 0376-8716 (Linking) VI - 229 IP - Pt A DP - 2021 Dec 1 TI - Cannabis use disorder and dissociation: A report from a prospective first-episode psychosis study. PG - 109118 LID - S0376-8716(21)00613-X [pii] LID - 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.109118 [doi] AB - BACKGROUND: Cannabis is the most used recreational drug worldwide. Its use can increase the risk of developing psychotic disorders and exacerbate their course. However, the relationship between cannabis use and dissociative symptoms has been scarcely investigated. AIMS: To examine differences in psychotic and dissociative symptoms, and in functioning in first-episode psychotic patients (FEPp) using cannabis compared with those not using cannabis. METHODS: Between January 2014 and December 2019, seventy FEPp with cannabis use disorder (N = 35) and without it (N = 35) were recruited in psychiatric inpatient facilities in the Italian regions of Lazio and Piemonte. All subjects were assessed at FEP, after 4 and 8 months, using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale and the Dissociative Experiences Scale - II (DES-II). Detailed information on the pattern of cannabis and other substance use were collected. RESULTS: FEP using cannabis showed higher levels of positive symptomatology, dissociative experiences and worse functioning than their non-user counterpart, despite a comparable antipsychotic treatment. At an eight-month prospective evaluation, FEP using cannabis still showed higher levels of positive symptomatology and dissociation. Moreover, global functioning worsened over time in FEPp using cannabis, whereas it improved those not using it. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that a greater degree of dissociation and positive symptoms at FEPp and their persistence over time may characterise cannabis-associated psychosis. Both these factors might explain the overall functioning worsening over time that we observed in the cannabis-user group compared to the functioning improvement in the non-user group. CI - Copyright (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. FAU - Ricci, V AU - Ricci V AD - San Luigi Gonzaga University Hospital, Regione Gonzole, 10, 10043, Orbassano, Turin, Italy. FAU - Ceci, F AU - Ceci F AD - Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini, 33, 66100, Chieti, Italy. Electronic address: franca.ceci@live.it. FAU - Di Carlo, F AU - Di Carlo F AD - Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini, 33, 66100, Chieti, Italy. FAU - Lalli, A AU - Lalli A AD - Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini, 33, 66100, Chieti, Italy. FAU - Ciavoni, L AU - Ciavoni L AD - Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini, 33, 66100, Chieti, Italy. FAU - Mosca, A AU - Mosca A AD - Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini, 33, 66100, Chieti, Italy. FAU - Sepede, G AU - Sepede G AD - Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini, 33, 66100, Chieti, Italy. FAU - Salone, A AU - Salone A AD - Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini, 33, 66100, Chieti, Italy. FAU - Quattrone, D AU - Quattrone D AD - Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, Memory Ln, London SE5 8AF, UK; National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF, UK; Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Square J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany. FAU - Fraticelli, S AU - Fraticelli S AD - DSM PIPSM ASL ROMA 1, Via Plinio, 31, 00193 Roma. FAU - Maina, G AU - Maina G AD - San Luigi Gonzaga University Hospital, Regione Gonzole, 10, 10043, Orbassano, Turin, Italy; Rita Levi Montalcini Department of Neurosciences, University of Turin, Italy. FAU - Martinotti, G AU - Martinotti G AD - Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, Clinical Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini, 33, 66100, Chieti, Italy; Department of Clinical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL10 9AB, UK. LA - eng PT - Journal Article DEP - 20211010 PL - Ireland TA - Drug Alcohol Depend JT - Drug and alcohol dependence JID - 7513587 RN - 0 (Antipsychotic Agents) SB - IM MH - *Antipsychotic Agents/therapeutic use MH - *Cannabis/adverse effects MH - Humans MH - *Marijuana Abuse/complications/epidemiology MH - Prospective Studies MH - *Psychotic Disorders/drug therapy/epidemiology OTO - NOTNLM OT - Cannabis OT - First-episode psychosis OT - Schizophrenia OT - THC EDAT- 2021/10/24 06:00 MHDA- 2022/01/11 06:00 CRDT- 2021/10/23 20:28 PHST- 2021/02/23 00:00 [received] PHST- 2021/09/25 00:00 [revised] PHST- 2021/09/28 00:00 [accepted] PHST- 2021/10/24 06:00 [pubmed] PHST- 2022/01/11 06:00 [medline] PHST- 2021/10/23 20:28 [entrez] AID - S0376-8716(21)00613-X [pii] AID - 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.109118 [doi] PST - ppublish SO - Drug Alcohol Depend. 2021 Dec 1;229(Pt A):109118. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.109118. Epub 2021 Oct 10.