
Marijuana use may lead to an earlier onset of psychosis
Psychosis is a mental state of the mind that involves loss of contact with reality. Symptoms may include hallucinations, delusional belief and even personality changes and thought disorder. Origin may be due to a general medical condition or it may be substance-induced. Still there’s a lot to know more regarding this illness because the brain is very complex and experts are still seeking additional information to piece it all together.
A new theory surfaced regarding a precipitating factor that could trigger the onset of psychosis and now being argued by many specialists.
According to Australian researchers, they have found the link that a certain drug called cannabis, also known as marijuana, could trigger an earlier psychosis onset of about three years when compared to those who haven’t used marijuana at all. This theory is being confirmed by the study they gather from 83 peer-reviewed articles involving almost 8,200 individuals who had used marijuana or other drugs and almost 14,400 individuals who had not.
The said theory was being opposed by Mr. Michael Rice, a psychiatric nurse practitioner at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
There is a certain illness called schizophrenia, which is due to an inflammation in the brain, and it relies on certain drugs like marijuana to reduce the inflammation and the said inflammation may actually cause psychosis.
The real message of this theory is to alarm the public about the possible effects and risks of smoking marijuana, specifically to teens.