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Psychiatria Danubina, Vol. 32 No. suppl. 1, 2020.

Conference paper

CANNABINOID-INDUCED PSYCHOSIS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL GENDER STUDY

Massimo C. Bachetti ; Department of Psychiatry, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
Roberta Lanzi ; Department of Psychiatry, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
Giulia Menculini ; Department of Psychiatry, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
Francesca Scopetta ; School of Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
Alfonso Tortorella ; Department of Psychiatry, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
Patrizia Moretti ; Department of Psychiatry, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy

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Abstract

Background: Gender is a crucial factor in the development of mental illnesses, with an essential influence on clinical characteristics
and not only on the prevalence of each disorder. Gender differences in cannabinoid-related disorders are highlighted by
different research fields (preclinical, clinical, socio-demographic studies), but few studies focused on differential symptom expression
in cannabinoid-induced psychosis. This study aims at investigating qualitative and quantitative gender differences in specific
psychopathological domains in a clinical sample of subjects affected by cannabinoid-induced psychotic disorder, without psychiatric
comorbidity.
Subjects and methods: The study was carried out at the Psychiatric Inpatient Service of General Hospital of Perugia (Italy). In
this cross-sectional gender study, 28 inpatients were enrolled, 14 males (M) and 14 females (F). Participants were administered a
psychometric battery consisting of 7 tests (PANSS, NDS-I, YMRS, HAM-D, HAM-A, AQ, SSI) in order to investigate 7 psychopathological
domains (Psychosis, Dysphoria, Mania, Depression, Anxiety, Aggressive Behaviour and Suicide Ideation). Scores
obtained at each test were compared between male and females by using Mann-Whitney U test (p<0.05).
Results: In this study, we observed that males present higher severity of psychotic symptoms, with prominent scores in PANSS
positive and general psychopathology scale (p<0.001), and an important expression of aggressive behavior (p<0.001) compared
with females. Female sample, instead, shows a greater expression of dysphoria and depressive domains (p<0.001) and a lower, but
statistically significant, prevalence in the anxiety domains expression (p=0.01). By these observations, we could assert that in male group thought disorders are prominent. On the other hand, in female group affective disorder are prominent.
Conclusions: This study confirmed how gender influences the phenomenic expression of psychiatric disorders. In line with the
precision medicine paradigm, a further clarification of different clinical profiles based on gender would allow the choice of a
personalized treatment plan with better efficacy and accuracy indices.

Keywords

substance-induced psychosis; cannabinoids; gender differences; inpatients; gender medicine

Hrčak ID:

262517

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/262517

Publication date:

24.3.2020.

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