Abstract
The association with the use of cannabis following the risk of having schizophrenia have been a argument coming from the Swedish conscripts, if it is either due to this herb or through the use of other drugs and if personal traits is a confounding factor. Using a cohort study, 50 087 males participated as subject for study from the year 1969-70. The admissions to hospital of schizophrenic and other psychosis cases are used as the main source of this paper (Zammit, 2002).
Introduction
An early report about the mental disorder of Schizophrenia due to cannabis has been in Swedish list. Cannabis could be an independent risk factor for schizophrenia. However, several indecisive interpretation of this result is still on debate. Practically speaking, the use of cannabis at high dose could eventually lead to toxic psychoses. But, it is not yet well explained on how it increases the risk of psychotic illness persisting after self-denial from the drug. The palpable result of cannabis may be due to other drugs (i.e. amphetamines) that have been used wrongly by cannabis users relatively than those who do not use cannabis. But, there are pre-morbid personality traits (social behavior) that have inclined individuals both to the use of cannabis and development of schizophrenia, while others see cannabis as a self treatment on the symptoms of schizophrenia (Spearing, 1999). From a review, the cohort study showed that .cannabis always lead to mental illness and that the association was not due to other drugs. However, the causation is too complicated to identify (Zammit, 2002) study aims to further understanding to the Swedish conscript cohort, and to analyze cannabis as risk factor to schizophrenia, also enables adjustments for factors such as personality traits that potentially confound this relation (Zammit, 2002).
Methodology
From the year 1969-70, males were taken as the experimental unit of Swedish conscripts (>97% of the country’s male population aged 18-20). A total of 50 087 males participated as subjects. Self-reported use of cannabis together with other drugs was the most available data. Most sources of information come through the admissions to hospital for ICD-8/9 schizophrenia and other psychoses (Zammit, 2002).
Results and Discussion
In order to examine the results, logistic regression is utilized. The findings was there was a 95% confidence gaps for increasing schizophrenia in subjects who took cannabis as compared with those subjects with no history of drug use. The amplified risk of increasing schizophrenia with cannabis was linked with dose dependent that was designed both for users who took cannabis (adjusted odds ratio for linear trend of increasing frequency 1.2, 95% confidence interval 1.1 to 1.4, P<0.001), and for those users who did not take any other drug except for cannabis (adjusted odds ratio for linear trend 1.3, 1.1 to 1.5, P<0.015). Similar results were obtained, after five years after conscription (Zammit, 2002). The study was limited to subjects developing schizophrenia, to exclude prodromal cases (See tables at the article).
Conclusion
This paper shows that there is a causal relationship between the use of cannabis and the amplified risk of increasing schizophrenia. Nevertheless, such causal relationship is not due to the personality and sociability traits of the subjects. In addition, the use of amphetamines and/or other drugs do not also affect the results (Spearing, 1999). Lastly, the observed causal relationship does not have anything to do with the self-medication by the use of cannabis. (Zammit, 2002).
References:
Spearing, M. K. (1999). Overview of Schizophrenia Retrieved July 17, 2007, from http://www.schizophrenia.com/family/sz.overview.htm
Zammit, S. (2002). Self reported cannabis use as a risk factor for schizophrenia in Swedish conscripts of 1969: historical cohort study [Electronic Version]. Retrieved July 17, 2007 from http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=1244534.