Marijuana and Psychosis: Evidence Points to Cannabis Triggering Lasting Psychotic Conditions

A Note from the Editor and Our Sponsor, Laurel House

September is National Recovery Month, a national observance to educate Americans that mental health and substance use treatment and services can help those affected to live healthy and rewarding lives.

Earlier this month we featured a guest post from Silver Hill Hospital, excerpted from their publication, Silver Linings. Part One of the special report, Marijuana and Psychosis: One Family’s Story – From Capable to Catatonic in One Year, told of one young man’s struggles with psychosis following heavy use of cannabis in college. This week, we feature Part Two of the series Marijuana and Psychosis, which focuses on the growing evidence that cannabis use can have permanent adverse effects on young people’s mental health.

Laurel House has had a long relationship with Silver Hill Hospital, located in nearby New Canaan, CT. Last year for National Recovery Month, its President and CEO, Dr. Andrew J. Gerber, authored a guest post for rtor.org, Co-occurring Disorders: The Link Between PTSD and Addiction. Dr. Gerber was honored in 2019 as Laurel House’s Champion for Recovery. He recently joined the Advisory Board of rtor.org.

In keeping with the theme of National Recovery Month 2020, “Join the Voices for Recovery: Celebrating Connections,” www.rtor.org and Laurel House are featuring a series of articles celebrating the strength and resilience of individuals in mental health and substance use recovery.

Jay Boll
Editor in Chief

Growing evidence shows cannabis use, particularly among adolescents and young adults, can trigger permanent psychological disorders, such as schizophrenia. At the same time, marijuana is increasingly being legalized, decriminalized, glorified in pop culture and easier to access.

“It’s heading in a terrible direction,” said Rocco “Rocky” Marotta, MD, PhD, Service Chief for the Adult Transitional Living Program at Silver Hill Hospital. “I see the suffering. I see families suffering. I see these kids’ lives destroyed.

“The hospital, all of us really, have to recognize what’s happening and we have to develop protocols and ways of diagnosing it to see if there are specific treatment modalities that are necessary to help these kids who are different,” Dr. Marotta said.

If you or someone you know experiences mental health issues, it is important to seek help from a qualified professional. Our Resource Specialist can help you find expert mental health resources to recover in your community. Contact us now for more information on this free service to our users.

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Photo by Abdiel Ibarra on Unsplash

The opinions and views expressed in any guest blog post do not necessarily reflect those of www.rtor.org or its sponsor, Laurel House, Inc. The author and www.rtor.org have no affiliations with any products or services mentioned in the article or linked to therein. Guest Authors may have affiliations to products mentioned or linked to in their author bios only.