NCJ Number
185723
Journal
Drug and Alcohol Review Volume: 19 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2000 Pages: 287-290
Date Published
September 2000
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This study assessed the duration of admission and time to relapse in 62 acute psychiatric inpatients in Sydney, Australia, for whom urinalysis took place due to suspicion of illicit drug use.
Abstract
Results revealed that 51 percent of the 45 individuals with psychosis and 29 percent of the 17 individuals with nonpsychotic illness were positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), although this difference was not significant due to the small numbers. The THC-positive participants with recurrent admissions for psychosis were significantly younger than those who were not THC-positive. The duration of admission was 7 days shorter in the THC-positive group than in the others, but this difference was not significant. However, their time to relapse was significantly different in that it was 10 months, versus 33 months for those who were not THC-positive. Findings suggested the desirability of strongly encouraging abstinence from marijuana use among individuals with psychoses. Figure and 13 references