Young Men at Highest Schizophrenia Risk From Cannabis Abuse
Roughly 15% of schizophrenia cases among young males may be preventable by avoiding cannabis use disorder (CUD). Not only does cannabis abuse markedly increase the risk of schizophrenia, its use has transgenerational effects such that offspring from a cannabis user are more prone to use opiates.
Editors Note: Youngsters need to know two things.
1. Any supposedly legitimate drug bought on line may look like the real thing, but it is all-too-often laced with fentanyl which can kill someone in 5 minutes. No street-bought drug is safe, no matter how real it looks.
2. Marijuana will not kill you, but can make you psychotic for the rest of your life. The widely circulated notion that pot is safe is just a conspiracy by the plant growers to make money and by politicians who are ignorant of the facts. Pot doubles the rate of paranoia in the general population and if you have a good functioning genetic (val158val) version of COMT, this works too well to deplete dopamine in the prefrontal cortex and further increases the risk of paranoia and psychosis.
The Cognitive Effects of Electroconvulsive Therapy in Community Settings
Harold Sackeims’ review in Neuropsychopharmacology, 32, 244-254 (2007) remains one of the best updates indicating that the cognitive effects of Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) are not always benign. They followed 347 patients from seven facilities in New York city and tested them after their last session of ECT and then again 6 months later. They reported that “Electrical waveform and electrode placement had marked cognitive effects. Sine wave stimulation resulted in pronounced slowing of reaction time, both immediately and 6 months following ECT. Bilateral (BL) ECT resulted in more severe and persisting retrograde amnesia than right unilateral ECT. Advancing age, lower premorbid intellectual function, and female gender were associated with greater cognitive deficits. Thus, adverse cognitive effects were detected 6 months following the acute treatment course. Cognitive outcomes varied across treatment facilities and differences in ECT technique largely accounted for these differences. Sine wave stimulation and BL electrode placement resulted in more severe and persistent deficits.”
Editors note: This is why it is important to recommend right unilateral ultra brief pulse (RUUBP) ECT both for acute and continuation treatment if necessary. Continuing RUUBP ECT rather than converting to bilateral ECT would appear to be preferable.
