Pubdate: Sun, 30 Jan 2005
Source: Mercury, The (Australia)
Copyright: 2005 News Limited
Contact:  http://www.themercury.com.au/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/193
Author: Simon Bevilacqua
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)

POT SHOCK

PATIENTS suffering the effects of cannabis abuse are being treated by 
Tasmanian public hospitals every day, says a leading health authority.

People with short-term drug-induced psychosis and longer-term mental 
illness, compounded by pot smoking, are seeking medical help at an 
increasing rate.

Mental Health Services clinical statewide director Peter Norrie said the 
Royal Hobart Hospital was seeing many cannabis cases.

First-time pot smokers were turning up at the Royal with full-blown 
psychosis -- delusional, confused and anxious.

Other more regular pot smokers with long-term mental illness were fronting 
for treatment for episodes likely to have been triggered or related to 
using cannabis.

"These days it's close to every day," said Dr Norrie, who is a senior 
clinical consultant psychiatrist at the Royal.

He said he was talking about "drug-induced psychosis or long-term mental 
illness associated with pot smoking".

Dr Norrie said it was "very common" for first-time users to present with 
"floridly psychotic" behaviour.

He said psychiatrists were increasingly concerned with the link between 
substance abuse and mental illness.

Cannabis use had been linked with depression, anxiety and schizophrenia.

International studies show modern strains of marijuana are from three to 10 
times stronger than those used by previous generations.

"Clinically psychiatrists have suspected a link for many years and the 
latest research seems to confirm this," Dr Norrie said.

"The chicken-and-egg debate has raged for years whether pot causes 
psychosis or people with a tendency to psychotic illness are predisposed to 
smoke pot."

Dr Norrie said the first signs of schizophrenia were often a lack of 
engagement with society.

But those symptoms could also be what is commonly known as "typically 
teenage" or a sign of the onset of depression.

Disengaged teenagers could then turn to cannabis.

If psychosis did occur it was hard to tell whether smoking pot was a cause 
or a symptom.

Dr Norrie said some pot smokers appeared to be able to continue the habit 
without serious mental illness but others were prone to individual cases of 
psychosis or longer-term mental disease.

"There's a certain group of people who smoke pot who are unlikely to 
develop mental illness but there's certainly a significant number of the 
population who suffer from mental illness and pot smoking adds to the 
risk," Dr Norrie said.

Drug-induced psychosis usually consists of paranoia, confusion and anxiety.

Sufferers present with memory problems and delusions. They can believe they 
have special powers, hear and see things that are not there and are unable 
to distinguish what is real.
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