Objective Several reports suggest that cannabis use is associated with an earlier age at onset of psychosis, though not all studies have operationalized cannabis use as occurring prior to onset of symptoms. This study addressed whether pre-onset cannabis use (and alcohol and tobacco use) is associated with an earlier age at onset of prodromal and psychotic symptoms. Additionally, effects of the progression of frequency of use were examined through time-dependent covariates in survival analyses. Method First-episode patients (n=109) hospitalized in two public-sector inpatient psychiatric units underwent in-depth cross-sectional/retrospective assessments. Prior substance use and ages at onset of prodromal and psychotic symptoms were determined using standardized methods. Cox regression modeling was conducted. Results Whereas classifying participants according to maximum frequency of use prior to onset (none, ever, weekly, or daily) revealed no significant effects of cannabis or tobacco use on risk of onset, analysis of change in frequency of use prior to onset indicated that progression to daily cannabis and tobacco use was associated with increased risk of onset of psychotic symptoms. Similar or even stronger effects were observed when onset of illness/prodromal symptoms was the outcome. A gender by daily cannabis use interaction was observed—progression to daily use resulted in a much larger increased relative risk of onset of psychosis in females than males. Conclusions Pre-onset cannabis use may hasten the onset of psychotic as well as prodromal symptoms. Age at onset is a key prognostic factor in schizophrenia, and discovering modifiable predictors of age at onset is crucial.

This study supports the hypothesis that an educational program for law enforcement officers may reduce stigmatizing attitudes toward persons with schizophrenia.

Clinical, policy, and programmatic implications may be elaborated by studying risk factors for nonadherence in a community mental health setting. Given the multitude of problems associated with nonadherence, interventions should be tailored around specific characteristics that elevate the risk of nonadherence, especially nonadherence in the form of failure to attend the first appointment after psychiatric hospitalization.

Objective-Previous research on mental health disparities shows that persons from racial-ethnic minority groups have less access to mental health care, engage in less treatment, and receive poorer-quality treatment than non-Hispanic whites. Attitudes and beliefs about mental health treatment were examined to determine whether they contribute to these disparities.Methods-Data from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) were analyzed to determine attitudes toward treatment-seeking behavior among people of non-Hispanic white, African-American, and Hispanic or Latino race-ethnicity. Additional sociodemographic variables were examined in relation to attitudes and beliefs toward treatment.