Association between formal thought disorder and cannabis use: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Schizophrenia September 29, 2022 Mathilde Argote, Guillaume Sescousse, Jérôme Brunelin et al. 7 citations
Formal thought disorder (FTD) is a multidimensional syndrome occurring along the psychosis continuum. A meta-analysis of 19 studies including 1840 cannabis users and 3351 non-cannabis users found that cannabis users had higher severity of FTD (standardized mean difference = 0.21). This increase was present regardless of disorder severity: in healthy individuals, patients with first-episode psychosis, and patients with schizophrenia. Between-group differences were not significant. Cannabis use appears to be associated with increased FTD severity all along the psychosis continuum, consistent with its known effect on positive symptoms.