According to a new study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, that was cited by the U.K. Daily Mail, the use of marijuana between once a week and everyday can increase the risk of a psychosis-like experience by a whopping 159%.
A psychotic experience, according to mind.org, is when you perceive or interpret reality in a very different way from people around you. You might be said to ‘lose touch’ with reality. The most common types of psychosis are. hallucinations. delusions.
In the study, University of Montreal researchers followed 4,000 13-year-olds for four years. During this time, the researchers had the participants complete questionnaires about substance abuse and any psychotic experiences.
Other tests in the study also included cognitive tests that assessed their IQ, memory and stimuli response.
“Our findings conform that becoming a more regular marijuana user during adolescence is, indeed, associated with a risk of psychotic symptoms,” confirmed lead study author Josiane Bourque.
“An increase in symptoms of depression — such as negative thoughts and low mood — could explain the relationship between marijuana use and increasing psychotic-like experiences in youth,” Ms. Bourque said.
