Cannabis use disorder and dissociation: A report from a prospective first-episode psychosis study.
Drug and Alcohol Dependence October 1, 2021 V. Ricci, F. Ceci, F. di Carlo et al.
First-episode psychosis patients who also have cannabis use disorder show more severe positive symptoms, dissociative experiences, and worse overall functioning compared with patients who do not use cannabis, even when both groups receive comparable antipsychotic treatment. Over an eight-month follow-up, cannabis users continue to have higher levels of positive symptoms and dissociation, and their global functioning worsens, while functioning improves in non-users. The findings suggest that greater dissociation and positive symptoms at first episode and their persistence may characterize cannabis-associated psychosis and help explain the diverging trajectories in functioning.