South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Cannabis and Mental Health

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1 South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust Cannabis and Mental Health

2 What's happening? Cannabis is the most widely used illicit substance in South London, particularly among young adults. There are many regular users in our area. Many people now smoke stronger cannabis (eg skunk), smoke more of it and start to smoke at a younger age. What's the problem? We now know that cannabis can trigger mental health problems, or make them worse. What cannabis does The highs... Most people who use cannabis don't have a problem with it. It helps them to feel more relaxed, sociable and talkative - and, sometimes changes the way they think, feel and perceive the world. And the lows... But some users get feelings of paranoia, anxiety and distress. Others notice that they lose their 'get up and go' and find it harder to think clearly and learn. For other people, cannabis has more serious side effects, particularly if you are vulnerable to, or already have a mental health problem. Research has shown that in a vulnerable person, cannabis can: Trigger psychotic symptoms - sometimes for the first time Make worse psychotic symptoms that you already have Make it harder to recover from a period of psychosis Page 2

3 But cannabis is natural... Many of us have the feeling that, if something is natural, then it's harmless - after all, cannabis is just a plant. The problem is that there are many 'natural' plants that are dangerous to take, even those that are used as medicines. How do we know that cannabis makes psychosis worse? Research has been going on for several years in different parts of the world. These studies show that there is a link between cannabis use and psychotic symptoms, including serious psychotic disorders like schizophrenia. The research has also shown that it's quite a small number of people who are vulnerable to psychosis - it's in their genes. Cannabis seems to act as a trigger for people with this vulnerability. For those who are vulnerable, it is estimated that as many as one in seven cases of psychosis may be caused by cannabis. There is also some evidence to suggest that cannabis may increase the risk of other mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. Who is most likely to be affected? Compared to people who have never used cannabis, heavy users are more than twice as likely to suffer mental illness. People who begin using cannabis at a very young age (at or before age 15), who regularly use very strong varieties of cannabis (eg skunk), for a long time. Page 3

4 What about me? Some of us are more likely to develop psychosis than others - we are "high risk". The problem is that we don't know if we are high risk or not - at the moment, there's no test for this. You may only use cannabis occasionally or may smoke it regularly to cope with the pressures of daily life. Either way, it's helpful to have an idea of the risk. You are more likely to get a psychosis with cannabis if: you (or someone in your family) has a history of mental health problems currently using cannabis you use stronger types of cannabis eg skunk you started using cannabis early (eg before or around age 15) you have used cannabis for a number of years If this sounds like you, or someone you know - talk it over with someone. Is there a problem for me? If cannabis is having no bad effects on your life - fine. On the other hand, if there are some things that worry you about its effects: Try to write down some of the ways in which cannabis affects your life - good and bad. Think about any things you may be missing because of cannabis - education and training, relationships, going out, money, motivation etc. Page 4

5 If you look at these things and feel that you might be better off by reducing your cannabis use, talk it over with someone you trust. It could be your doctor, care co-ordinator or a relative. What's next? If you decide you do have a problem: remember - you can reduce your risk of psychosis by cutting down and eventually stopping cannabis avoid strong varieties of cannabis (eg skunk) - these are more likely to bring on psychotic symptoms set yourself realistic and manageable goals for cutting down. Try self-help programmes, eg and specialist websites eg What we can do to help At the Early Intervention Service we can offer: information and advice to help you to decide about how you manage your cannabis use emotional and practical support to help you cut out cannabis individual support to help you to cope with any cravings or withdrawal symptoms and to find new ways of coping with stress or symptoms ways to stay away from cannabis (relapse prevention) a referral to a specialist drug counselling service, if necessary Page 5

6 Specialist help There are a number of specialist services to help young people with drug problems. You can contact these services directly, or you may prefer to discuss the options with your Care Co-ordinator or doctor. They will be happy to make a referral. South London and Maudsley Community Drug Team - Marina House Turning Point/ACAPS 34, Electric Lane Brixton London SW2 Tel: Community Drugs Project - Lambeth Advice information and support for people with drug related problems Tel: Frank days a week, 24 hours a day Offering confidential advice, information and counselling covering all aspects of drug use. Available to users, their families, carers and friends. Page 6

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8 South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust If you d like a large print, audio, Braille or a translated version of this leaflet then please ask us. Contact SLaM SLaM switchboard: SLaM website: Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) PALS is here to listen and support you in whatever way they can to ensure your experience at SLaM is a positive one. If you are not happy about something at SLaM then PALS will try to help you. If you decide you want to make a formal complaint PALS can advise you how to do this. PALS 24hr information line: PALS website: PALS pals@slam.nhs.uk Travel For the quickest way to plan your journey to a SLaM service try TfL s journey planner. TfL 24hr travel information: Reference: Date of Publication: Review Date: lc /03/2012