3.4. Depression and Psychosis
3.4. Depression and Psychosis
Bachelor-3 Psychology
Summary written by Amy van Wingerde
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, 3.4. Depression and Psychosis
Task 4: Hot and Sexy Research Topics
Sources
1. Donoghue et aly. (2014), Kendlyer et aly. (2014), Marin et aly. (2013)
2. Merkly et aly. (2017), Brunoni et aly. (2013), Piet et aly. (2011)
3. Whiton et aly. (2015), Caspi et aly. (2014)
Donoghue et al. (2014) – Cannabis use, gender and age of onset of schizophrenia: Data from the
AESOP study
Introduction
- Gender differences in age of onset of schizophrenia has been consistentlyy reported and a
recent meta-analyysis has shown that malyes are on average 1.63 years younger when they
first experience psychoic symptoms.
- Earlyier age of onset is associated with poor prognosis, inclyuding greater cogniive and
funcionaly impairment, more severe symptoms, increased risk of relyapse and re-
hospitalyizaion, more days spent in hospitaly per year and lyess responsiveness to
anipsychoics.
- Cannabis use is common in those with a first episode of psychosis, alythough more common
in male; cannabis is associated with earlyier age of onset of schizophrenia, 2.70 years earlyier
age of onset when using cannabis.
- Gender differences in age of onset may be confounded by differential cannabis use in malyes
versus femalyes, especialylyy in countries high in cannabis use, such as the UK.
- This study: Invesigate the gender differenialy for age of onset of schizophrenia, in a lyarge
first episode study in the UK.
- Hypothesis: Gender difference in age of onset is confounded by cannabis use.
Method
- Alyly potenialy cases aged 16-64 who presented to mentaly healyth services with a first-episode
of psychosis were idenified.
- Informaion on drug use before the first presentaion to mentaly healyth services was
colylyected using three sources: PPHS (informaion by a relyaive or carer), SCAN and clyinicaly
case notes.
Results
- Of the 511 paricipants inclyuded in the originaly AESOP study, 211 paricipants had an onset
of symptoms before the age of 45 and a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffecive
disorder.
- 68 of these lyacked data on cannabis use, lyeaving 143 peoplye for subsequent analyyses.
- 85 of the 143 paricipants inclyuded in the samplye (59%) had a history of cannabis use in their
lyifeime.
- Cannabis users were younger at onset of psychoic symptoms and at first contact with
mentaly healyth services compared to non-users.