Managing cannabis use in people with severe mental illness: what can be done?

Abstract

SummaryNearly half of people with severe mental illness use cannabis sometime in their lives and during their illness. Its use can have multiple and severe consequences for the course of the illness. Despite the significance of the problem, managing cannabis use in this group is a recently developing topic and is still in its infancy. This article reviews the current state of knowledge on the management of people with severe mental illness who continue to use cannabis, specifically focusing on different models of service provision, and psychological and pharmacological interventions.

Cannabis use by people with severe mental illness – is it important?

“…In this article I have attempted to show the importance of identifying cannabis use in these patients and of understanding why some continue to use it, even though they experience the detrimental effects it has on them. In my next article (Atakan, 2009) I will examine psychosocial and pharmacological treatment models for such patients.…”

Cannabis Abuse and Vulnerability to Psychosis: Targeting Preventive Services

“…Adding psychoeducation, contingency management and skills training on pharmacotherapy may lead to an integrated and holistic model for treating cannabis use in patients with severe mental illness [69].…”