Cannabis Ans Mental Health Flashcards
What are the top three listed reasons for medical cannabis use?
Pain relief
Depression
Anxiety
How is dose of THC and CBD related to the alleviation of anxiety symptoms?
THC appears to decrease anxiety at lower doses and increase anxiety at higher doses
CBD appears to decrease anxiety without the anxiogenic affects at higher doses
What factors have been associated with the risk of anxiety being induced by cannabis? (Five).
Individual and genetic vulnerability
High dose
High THC low CBD varieties
History of anxiety
Environment and context of use
Why was Rimonabant withdrawn from the market?
Anxiogenic at high doses
Why are animal models used for studying anxiety and the effects of THC?
Easier to control variables and obtain ethics approval
Give an example of a well established animal model of anxiety
The elevated plus maze
What were the results of the elevated plus maze experiments in anxiety caused by CBD and THC
No anxiety induced in CBD
low doses of THC decreased anxiety while high doses induced anxiety
What could possibly play a role in the different effects of cannabinoids on anxiety?
Presence of CB one receptors on glumatatergic transmission and GABAergic neuronal transmission
What provides an appropriate emotional reactivity?
The equilibrium between excitatory and inhibitory transmission
Describe the neuronal stress response
Stressful experiences are characterized by enhancement of the glutamatergic tone, which leads to an unbalance between excitatory and inhibitory transmission
Give an example of a receptor agonist that can be used for the treatment of anxiety
5-HT1A receptor agonists
What does research indicate about CBD acting on 5-HT1A signalling
CBD acts as an allosteric modulator of 5-HT1A signalling and it may be a direct receptor agonist
What does current research indicate about cannabis use for treating depression?
Some report suggest cannabis use, facilitate the onset or worsening of symptoms of depression
Others find that it decreases depression
Overall data is limited
Where does evidence come from to support the idea that heavy cannabis use may precipitate or exacerbate schizophrenia symptoms
Anecdotal reports
Animal studies
Increasing knowledge of the endocannabinoid system
What are three hypotheses from the psychiatric community as to why cannabis use may be associated with schizophrenia
Cannabis can trigger an individual who would not have developed schizophrenia if they had not use the drug
Individuals with a predisposition to schizophrenia use cannabis to help reduce the initial symptoms of schizophrenia
Other factors like genetics and childhood trauma are responsible for the relationship
What factors contribute to cannabis induced psychosis (two)
Increasing potency of cannabis is thought to play a role in the risk of developing psychosis
The ratio of THC to CBD may also be important with CBD playing a protective role
Describe blood concentrations of endocrine adenoids in schizophrenic patients and how these are affected by antipsychotic medication
Schizophrenic patients have elevated endocannabinoids in their blood and cerebral spinal fluid
Levels return to normal range with antipsychotic medication treatments, and or clinical remission
What did studies find to be the strongest independent predictor of whether any given individual who uses cannabis would have a psychotic disorder or not?
Daily use
Use of high potency cannabis
What have studies shown use of high cannabis with high CBD content is associated with ((three)
Reduced positive symptoms (delusions and hallucinations)
Increase cognitive function
Lower risk for developing psychosis, in addition to a larger age of onset of the illness
What has research indicated about genetics as it relates to cannabis induced psychosis?
Research indicates that people who use cannabis and have a specific variant of the AKT1 gene are at increased risk of developing psychosis
What is the AKT1 gene
Codes for an enzyme that affects dopamine signalling in the striatum
List four risk factors for cannabis induced psychosis
Age of use
Genetics
Frequency of use
Potency of cannabis
THCCBD ratio
How would you structure a report related to cannabis for a civil case?
What is cannabis?
Potency
End cannabinoid system
Cannabis and mental health
Case summary
Conclusion
If someone commits an offence when suffering from cannabis induced psychosis, does this mean they were intoxicated by cannabis at the time of the offense?
No symptoms can last for up to a month after use
