Attenuated Psychotic Symptoms in Adolescents With Chronic Cannabis and MDMA Use
Frontiers in Psychiatry January 21, 2022 Melina Wiedmann, Sören Kuitunen-Paul, Lukas A. Basedow et al. 5 citations
Among adolescent psychiatry outpatients with substance use disorder, attenuated psychotic symptoms were linked to MDMA (ecstasy) use and trauma history, but not to cannabis use. In a sample of 46 adolescents, 35% reported using MDMA in addition to cannabis. Statistical analysis showed that MDMA use and trauma history were each associated with more psychotic-like symptoms, while cannabis use, gender, and birth complications were not. The authors suggest that cannabis may increase psychosis risk only after longer use or when combined with other factors like trauma. Clinicians should screen for psychotic symptoms in adolescents who use both MDMA and cannabis.