The word psychosis is used to describe conditions that affect the mind, where there has been some loss of contact with reality. When someone becomes ill in this way it is called a psychotic episode. During a period of psychosis, a person’s thoughts and perceptions are disturbed and the individual may have difficulty understanding what is real and what is not. Symptoms of psychosis include delusions (false beliefs) and hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that others do not see or hear). Other symptoms include incoherent or nonsense speech, and behaviour that is inappropriate for the situation. A person in a psychotic episode may also experience depression, anxiety, sleep problems, social withdrawal, lack of motivation, and difficulty functioning overall. The link between psychosis and substance use has been well documented. Substance abuse, which includes alcohol and street drugs, is common among those exhibiting psychotic symptoms, but the prevalence of cannabis abuse can be particularly high. Cannabis abuse among adolescents experiencing a first psychotic episode (FEP) seems to have negative long term implications for prognosis. Among FEP populations, cannabis abuse is associated with a higher incidence of aggression among males. Cannabis abuse has also been implicated as a risk factor for psychosis. This project will examine the pattern of substance use in clients who are attending a Primary Care Clinic for treatment of FEP and assess whether the use of illicit substances is associated with the development of FEP in this population and the impact of Early Intervention Services (EIS).
