Health Sciences 2700A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: White Noise, Tetrahydrocannabinol, Bipolar Disorder
6 Nov 2018
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Department
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The Downside of High Film
• Schizophrenia – linked with marijuana
o Patient with schizophrenia smoked cannabis and resulted in an increase in dopamine in the brain
• THC – tetrahydrocannabinol
o The active ingredient in marijuana
• Marijuana can send some people into state of paranoia or psychosis
o Psychosis – temporary but frightening state, filled with intense anxiety and hallucinations; symptom of schizophrenia
• Connection between pot and schizophrenia
• Robert Murray
o One of worlds leading experts on schizophrenia
• Swedish research paper on Cannabis and Schizophrenia by Allebeck and Andreasson
o Found direct connection between schizophrenia and marijuana use
o The more cannabis taken at 18 years of age, the more likely they are admitted to hospital and diagnosed with
schizophrenia related conditions
o 6x more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia than if you did not take any cannabis at all
• 1990s – cannabis use doubled in Canada and US
o Cannabis nearly doubles risk of psychotic episodes
o If smoking at age 16, risk of schizophrenia quadruples
Tyler
• First had marijuana in grade 9
o Had hallucinations
o One day while watching TV, said something was trying to communicate with him through TV, then collapsed
o Had a variation of schizophrenia
o Tyler was in and out of hospitals for 3 years to control his illness
o Had pain when smoking
Melanie
• 19 when she started
o Became hooked after the first time
o She got so high that night that she became manic and out of reality – thought people were going to eat her, that she was
in the military, etc.
o Diagnosed with bipolar disorder – large mood swings and psychosis
o Hospitalized for 3 months
Ben
• Started smoking at 15
o Wanted to see how it transformed him
o Got illusions and hallucinations – thought there was a demon in his house
o Thought the TV was giving him voices
o Diagnosed with schizophrenia
o Spent over a year in a psychiatric hospital
• THC – triggers increase in dopamine in the brain
o Controls mood
o Increase in dopamine makes us more aware
o Heightened awareness can lead to the hallucinations associated with schizophrenia
• Listening to white noise
o Some people report that they hear voices in the noise
o Psychosis is about the tendency to attribute too much meaning to mutual and mundane events
o Tendency to make up meaning when there isn’t any
• Too much THC can potentially trigger the same heightened awareness and misplaced meaning
• THC levels today are much greater than in 60s-70s
• Todays marijuana is so potent, the UN has discussed classifying it as a different drug from the 1960s product
• Why does marijuana have a crippling effect on SOME teens?
Document Summary
The downside of high film: schizophrenia linked with marijuana, patient with schizophrenia smoked cannabis and resulted in an increase in dopamine in the brain. 6x more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia than if you did not take any cannabis at all. 1990s cannabis use doubled in canada and us: cannabis nearly doubles risk of psychotic episodes. If smoking at age 16, risk of schizophrenia quadruples. Thc triggers increase in dopamine in the brain: controls mood, heightened awareness can lead to the hallucinations associated with schizophrenia. Listening to white noise: some people report that they hear voices in the noise, psychosis is about the tendency to attribute too much meaning to mutual and mundane events, tendency to make up meaning when there isn"t any. Too much thc can potentially trigger the same heightened awareness and misplaced meaning. Thc levels today are much greater than in 60s-70s.
