Contact:
Julian Mattocks
Phone: +43-1-81140-308
E-Mail: mattocks@pressetext.com
| Pressbox | 
|
Otago, NZ (pte018/01.03.2005/10:30) - Smoking cannabis can double the risk of developing mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, researchers warn. According to the New Zealand scientists, their study suggests this is probably due to chemical changes in the brain, which result from smoking the drug. As the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk reports, the study, which is published in the journal Addiction, followed over 1,000 people born in 1977 for 25 years.
The researchers, from the University of Otago http://www.otago.ac.nz interviewed people taking part in the Christchurch Health and Development Study about their cannabis use at the ages of 18, 21 and 25. They were also interviewed about various aspects of their mental health. The New Zealand scientists found that psychotic symptoms were more common among cannabis users. They analysed their findings to take into account of the possibility that their illness encouraged people to use more cannabis, rather than the drug contributing to their condition. However, the researchers said that the link was not likely to be due to people with mental illness having a greater wish to smoke cannabis. Instead, they said cannabis may increase the chances of a person suffering psychosis by causing chemical changes to the brain. The researchers also took into account factors such as family history, current mental disorders and illicit substance abuse.
The scientists, led by David Ferguson, said it was more likely that cannabis use increased the chances of a person suffering psychosis by causing chemical changes to the brain. "Even when all factors were taken into account, there was a clear increase in rates of psychotic symptoms after the start of regular use," he wrote in Addiction. "These findings add to the growing body of evidence from different sources, all of which suggest that heavy use of cannabis may lead to increased risk of psychotic symptoms and disease in susceptible individuals."
(end)
|
|
