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Characterization of mental health in cannabis dispensary users, using structured clinical interviews and standardized assessment instruments Yau, Jade C.; Yu, Shu M.; Panenka, William J.; Pearce, Hadley; Gicas, Kristina M.; Procyshyn, Ric M. (Ric Michael), 1961-; MacCallum, Caroline; Honer, William G. (William George), 1957-; Barr, Alasdair M.

Abstract

Background: Cannabis is commonly used for its medical properties. In particular, cannabis is purported to have beneficial effects on a wide range of neuropsychiatric conditions. Studies assessing mental health in cannabis dispensary users typically evaluate symptoms using self-report check lists, which provide limited information about symptom severity, and whether subjects meet criteria for a psychiatric diagnosis. There is, therefore, a need for studies which assess mental health in dispensary users with standardized and well validated scientific instruments, such as those used in clinical drug trials. Methods: One hundred medical cannabis users were recruited from a community dispensary. All subjects completed a structured clinical interview with the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Subjects also completed the Perceived Stress Scale-10, PROMIS Fatigue Scale, PROMIS Sleep Disturbance Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 and the Brief Pain Inventory. Details about cannabis use were also recorded. Results: Lifetime prevalence of mental illness in this cohort was high, and a large proportion of subjects endorsed psychological symptoms. The proportion of subjects who met criteria for classification of a current psychiatric disorder was low for mood disorders, but high for anxiety disorders and substance abuse/dependence. Cannabis use differed between the main psychiatric conditions. Conclusions: The present results indicate that rates of mental illness may be high in medical cannabis dispensary users. Use of structured clinical assessments combined with standardized symptom severity questionnaires provide a feasible way to provide a more rigorous and detailed evaluation of conditions and symptoms in this population.

Item Metadata

Title
Characterization of mental health in cannabis dispensary users, using structured clinical interviews and standardized assessment instruments
Creator
Yau, Jade C.; Yu, Shu M.; Panenka, William J.; Pearce, Hadley; Gicas, Kristina M.; Procyshyn, Ric M. (Ric Michael), 1961-; MacCallum, Caroline; Honer, William G. (William George), 1957-; Barr, Alasdair M.
Publisher
BioMed Central
Date Issued
2019-11-01
Description
Background: Cannabis is commonly used for its medical properties. In particular, cannabis is purported to have beneficial effects on a wide range of neuropsychiatric conditions. Studies assessing mental health in cannabis dispensary users typically evaluate symptoms using self-report check lists, which provide limited information about symptom severity, and whether subjects meet criteria for a psychiatric diagnosis. There is, therefore, a need for studies which assess mental health in dispensary users with standardized and well validated scientific instruments, such as those used in clinical drug trials. Methods: One hundred medical cannabis users were recruited from a community dispensary. All subjects completed a structured clinical interview with the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Subjects also completed the Perceived Stress Scale-10, PROMIS Fatigue Scale, PROMIS Sleep Disturbance Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 and the Brief Pain Inventory. Details about cannabis use were also recorded. Results: Lifetime prevalence of mental illness in this cohort was high, and a large proportion of subjects endorsed psychological symptoms. The proportion of subjects who met criteria for classification of a current psychiatric disorder was low for mood disorders, but high for anxiety disorders and substance abuse/dependence. Cannabis use differed between the main psychiatric conditions. Conclusions: The present results indicate that rates of mental illness may be high in medical cannabis dispensary users. Use of structured clinical assessments combined with standardized symptom severity questionnaires provide a feasible way to provide a more rigorous and detailed evaluation of conditions and symptoms in this population.
Subject
Cannabis; Clinical interview; Dispensary; Mental health; MINI; Psychiatric symptoms
Genre
Article
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2019-11-04
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
DOI
10.14288/1.0384920
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/72186
Affiliation
Medicine, Faculty of; Non UBC; Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Department of; Medicine, Department of; Psychiatry, Department of
Citation
BMC Psychiatry. 2019 Nov 01;19(1):335
Publisher DOI
10.1186/s12888-019-2324-z
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty
Copyright Holder
The Author(s).
Rights URI
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)