Study of the Impact of Cannabis Use on Perceptual and Memory Processes as Well as on Positive and Negative Symptoms in Patients with Schizophrenia (original) (raw)

Cannabis, as the most widely used illicit substance in the world, also remains among the most frequently used psychoactive substances by patients with schizophrenia. It is well known that cannabis use in schizophrenia patients favors relapse, resistance to antipsychotic treatments and therefore more frequent hospitalizations. However, many studies report considerable improvement in cognitive performance in substance users, while others show the opposite. Hence, the aim of our study is to examine the relationship between schizophrenia and cannabis use in clinical and socio-de- mographic aspects. This is a cross-sectional study of patients with schizophrenia hospitalized for relapse at the Ar-Razi psychiatric hospital in Salé, Morocco. A questionnaire was established in order to search for socio- demographic data, evolutionary and prognostic criteria of the disease. Cannabis use was assessed using the Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST), for the severity of schizophrenia symptoms we ...