Entries Tagged 'paul dillon' ↓

Nearly 4 million people nationwide watched the Ben Cousins documentary Such is Life – The troubled times of Ben Cousins. The program detailed his public life as a footballer while leading the secret life of a drug addict. This duplicitous lifestyle finally came to an end when he was arrested in Perth in 2007.

Paul Dillon, author of Teenagers, Alcohol and Drugs and Generation Next speaker, asked the question “How can you really answer a question about the harms associated with drug use when incredibly successful men in peak physical condition admit to regular drug use?”

The documentary was graphic in both its discussion of drug use and footage of Ben under the influence of drugs. At one point Ben says “There would be a time and a place for speed, there would be a time and a place for ecstasy, cocaine was my drug of choice, no question, but Valium played a huge part in that and Xanax played a huge part in that.”

Paul Dillon addressed the problem of profiling public figures that are known drug users, “The major problem is the message that these admissions send to young people. Although many would imagine that stories of famous people using drugs and experiencing a range of problems would discourage teenagers from going down the same path, in many cases just the opposite happens.  Unfortunately the only message that some young people pick up is that these celebrities have ‘made it through to the other side’ and continue to lead very glamorous and successful lives.”

Later in the program Cousins says “I would train and f***ing train and obsess and play good footy and the thing that would get me through those tough moments, those tough days, … was I knew at the end … I was going to absolutely annihilate and launch into as much drugs as I could.”

Paul Dillon went onto to say “When you look at the messages that we give young people about drugs they are usually negative, warning about the risks associated with their use. Drugs destroy lives – people who use them lose their jobs, their families and are very unhealthy. This just doesn’t match what they see when the latest rock star tells all on a TV chart show, or a famous sportsman has been caught doing the ‘wrong thing’.”

He added “Even if they did have a bad time there for a while, they certainly don’t look like they’re suffering too much at the moment. These cases also cause young people to question the legal issues around drug use when they see celebrities who are caught with illicit sub stances getting off with a slap on the wrist.”

Although the documentary showed Ben Cousins’s drug use, it failed to address the underlying issues of why he became addicted, or explore  the internal changes and revelations he went through during the process of ‘becoming clean’.

The Sun Herald reported that “Cousins’ pain was palpable, but there was precious little sense of him realising he’d long before foregone the right to expect anything else by virtue of his own betrayals.”

Paul Dillon commented that “There are physical, psychological and, importantly, social effects that can arise as a result of using alcohol and other drugs. In some cases, the use of drugs may not result in any major physical effects that anyone can see, but the mental health repercussions may be immense. In other cases, the physical impacts of long-term drug use may be obvious.”

After the program aired the Sydney Morning Herald conducted an online survey, in which 16,054 people participated, 57% of the respondents felt he was “smug and full of excuses”.

Danny Weidler, a Channel Nine sports reporter said that his motivation for the tell all documentary could have been financial rather than conscience driven.  He is not earning the big bucks anymore and he is about to retire. “Channel Seven paid $800,000 up front for the program; other networks had knocked it back – the feeling was that it wasn’t sending the right message,” he wrote.

Paul Dillon advised parents and teachers to make “sure the information we give young people is balanced, accurate and credible is crucial. Acknowledging that not everyone is going to experience the same problems will enable us to explain why some people appear to get by unscathed. At the same time, no matter who you are, there are problems – some you may not be able to observe by watching the nightly news, but they are there.”

For more information on issues related to the use of drugs and alcohol go to Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA).

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.
Source: Paul Dillon – DARTA (Drug Alcohol Research and Training Australia). Sydney Morning Herald

The new craze being pitched at teenagers is the i-Dose; an audio file that allegedly induces the same kind of experience as drugs. In fact the binaural MP3 audio files even take their names from drugs including; methamphetamine, cocaine, crack, LSD and Crystal Meth.

The files range in strength from the standard ‘heroin’ track to a hardcore track called the “Gates of Hades’ which promises listeners “Smoke and torment. Weeping and gnashing of teeth. Death. Destruction”.

For as little as $U2.75 teenagers can download the audio file and take a trip. This new digital drug culture that is growing in popularity has sinister undertones because it is introducing young people to the drug scene in what seems to be the safety, privacy and comfort of their own home.

Paul Dillon, founder of Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia and Generation Next speaker said “We are seeing drug culture seep more and more into the youth market, where people can make a quick buck. That is a very sad part of this that they are targeting the group most vulnerable – the young who see this as being a cool thing to do.”

The websites are full of jargon synonymous with drugs and loaded with images of pills and chunks of hash. However it is all presented in a way that makes the drug scene look very acceptable and even a normal part of adult life.

According to the “I-Doser” website, they are the “industry leaders in binaural brainwave audio doses (that) powerfully alter your mood” and the i-Dose is a “Safe, effective, and legal alternative to recreational and prescription drugs,” adding “ use of the I-Doser Application and included or purchased doses should be used for entertainment purposes only.”.

But as Paul Dillon points out this is very dangerous form of entertainment because “The earlier you find yourself in that (drug) culture the more problems you are likely to have in the future.”

Experts like Paul Dillon are not concerned so much with the content of the downloads as they are with the drug culture that they support.

The internet is now seeing a whole barrage of adolescents in headphones writhing around on the floor in what looks like agony as they experience an i-Dose.

Traditionally the droning binaural beats based on alpha and delta waves have been used to induce a relaxed state; but here it is being used to ‘mimic’ the effect of hardcore drugs.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha
Source: Sydney Morning Herald (Technology), i-Doser

The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) at the University of New South Wales has released its findings from a study that examined data from the 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. This survey interviewed 9,000 Australians aged 16-85 years of age.  The report is ground breaking in that it provides the first ever lifetime estimates of alcohol problems in Australia.

It has found that 22% of Australians will experience problems of alcohol abuse and dependence during their lifetime but only 20% of these will seeks treatment; with young men being most at risk.

Two of the most worrying facts to come out of the report are:

• Young men are two and a half times as likely to have current alcohol use problems, with more than 11% of men aged 16 to 24 reporting symptoms consistent with an alcohol use disorder over the previous 12 months.
• 42% of Australians with alcohol problems have at least one co-existing mental illness, such as depression or an anxiety disorder.

Paul Dillon from Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA), author of “Teenagers, Alcohol and Drugs” and Generation Next speaker said that for young people, especially young males “Getting drunk is often viewed as a ‘badge of honour’. The challenge is to get across the message that drinking for intoxication is not acceptable and is potentially life threatening.”

He added “Alcohol is the drug our kids are most likely to come into contact with during the teenage years and beyond, and without any doubt it is a drug they have problems with”.

Young men aged between 20 and 29 are almost twice as likely to drink at risky levels than those born 10 years earlier. “Alcohol problems are most common in young men, so we need better intervention and prevention strategies for young Australians” said Professor Teesson, lead author of the report.

“People need to know that alcohol abuse which is impacting on their personal, home and work life can be treated,” she added.

It is important to note that the study considers that alcohol abuse does not measure the quantity of alcohol consumed but rather relates to the impact of using alcohol including: failure to fulfil duties at home or work, using alcohol in dangerous situations such as driving, legal problems and fights with spouse over use of alcohol.

Professor Teesson said “People are much less likely to want to own up to having a problem with alcohol than they are about other physical or mental illnesses, yet their abuse of alcohol has serious consequences to them personally and around them including getting into fights, drink driving, taking time off work, child neglect, getting into trouble with the Police, and driving while drunk.”

The report showed that 42% of Australians with alcohol problems have at least one co-existing mental illness, such as depression or an anxiety disorder. Yet while close to 50% of all Australians suffering from depression are being treated; only 22% of people with alcohol related problems receive help.

Paul Haber, the director of the drug and alcohol service at Sydney’s Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and a co-author of the paper said that the high rate of alcohol problems uncovered was a surprise, while the low levels of treatment were a disappointment.

The country’s “alcohol-consuming culture” was widely acknowledged as encouraging drinking problems, Professor Haber said.

Key findings from the report include:
22 % of Australians have alcohol disorders over their lifetime
18.3 % experience alcohol abuse and 3.9% are dependent
Only 22.4% of people with alcohol problems are treated
33% of men will have a problem at some point compared with 12% of women, and
Married people and people from a non-English speaking background are less likely to have a problem with alcohol.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.
Source: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre

headspace is supporting this series of national seminars relating to the health and wellbeing of young people.

The next Mental Health and Wellbeing of Young People 2010 Seminar will be held in Sydney on Friday September 10, 2010

WHAT: Topics this year include major and current issues

• Cyber-bullying
• Drugs and Alcohol
• Body Image & Eating Disorders
• Teen Depression
• Resilience
• Sexualisation, Consumerism, the Media and Mental health

Feedback from our previous event:
• ”It was very insightful. I got such a lot out of hearing from the wonderful line up of speakers you organised for us. I congratulate you on putting such a powerful line-up and message together.”
• “Thank you again for organising such a great event- it was a wonderful success and hopefully the start of many more in the future!”
• “Congratulations and thank you on a well informed and planned conference. My colleague and I loved it. I know next year I would like to send my middle years staff.”
• “The day was a very valuable one and I know that there will be more teachers from our school attending the next one.”
• “The conference speakers were engaging and stimulating and to be honest I have thought of little else since…! It was extremely uplifting to listen to people who love what they do, who are passionate about young people, passionate about their area of expertise and who are generous enough to share their knowledge, insights and understanding to improve the lives of others. Congratulations to everyone involved, I for one have been moved into action and inspired to act!”
• “Thanks once again for such a wonderful conference. I got so much out of it. I plan to use much of the info I gained on the day on a whole school basis. It’s great to have practical info that can be adapted to a school setting.”
• “It was a terrific seminar and every speaker was dynamic and to the point, well worth having a second one. I will share the details with colleagues.”
• “It was wonderful to learn in such a funny and stimulating way. The power of humour…! I will tell all colleagues about what a great professional event it was and how they can possibly get to the next one.”
• “Thank you for your vision, passion and dedication for the wellbeing of young people.”
•  “It was a terrific seminar and every speaker was dynamic and to the point, well worth having a second one. I will share the details with colleagues.”
• “Again thank you for a wondrous seminar.”
• “I will promote the next conference for you, as last week was fantastic!”
• “Thanks for putting on a great conference.”
•  “Thank you so much for your part in organising the wonderful event…..It was inspiring to hear such a collection of speakers on the one program, all most informative and entertaining. I …. shall be passing on the information to others.”
•  “The event WAS wonderful and I am happy to see that you are hosting another so soon.”

 
95% of the delegates felt that the seminar was definitely worth attending

Australia’s leading experts in one event:
• Michael Carr-Gregg, Adolescent Psychologist and Beyondblue Ambassador
• Dr Sloane Madden, Expert in Body Image and Eating Disorders, The Children’s Hospital, Westmead
• Paul Dillon, Drug and Alcohol Research and Training
• Susan McLean, Cyber safety Expert
• Lyn Worsely, Psychologist, Developer of The Resilience Doughnut
• Evelyn Field, Psychologist, Author of Bully blocking, National Centre Against Bullying
• Dr Ramesh Manocha, GP, Mental Health Researcher, University of Sydney

For Education, Health and Welfare Professionals:

“The Mental Health and Wellbeing of Young People 2010″.
Date: Friday, September 10, 2010
Venue: Mathews Lecture Theatre, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Sydney
Time: 9am-5pm

To look at the full programme, download the brochure or register go to Generation Next

Or phone 1300 797 794

Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha

50% of parents say 15 year olds should be allowed alcohol at home
20% of teenagers drink on a weekly basis
1 Australian teenager a week dies of alcohol abuse*

The dilemma of whether or not to let underage teenagers drink at private parties is one that many parents have faced.

The majority seem to feel that it is better to let young people drink in the safety of their own home rather than letting them try to obtain alcohol by false ID’s or other people purchasing it for them.

However, the recent case of a 16 year old youth who had passed out at a party in Sydney and was then set alight after petrol had been poured over his head brings this quandary into the spot light yet again.

Apparently the petrol was poured over him as a prank; the so called prankster greatly mis-judging the gravity of his behavior, probably also due to too much alcohol.

Thankfully the teenager woke up and ran for help, but he did suffer burns to his face and hands and went to hospital for treatment before being released.

The incident is still under investigation.

Surprisingly the MBF Healthwatch survey showed that parents in the higher income bracket were more in favor of supplying alcohol to under-age teenagers (63%) than their lower socioeconomic counterparts.

Bupa Australia chief medical officer Dr Christine Bennett said “some may see this approach as a way to teach their teenage children about socially responsible drinking but we want parents to understand that early exposure may actually be doing them damage,” she said. “Too much alcohol impairs young people’s judgment, which can lead to violence, injury and build a pattern of use that leads to lifetime dependence”.

“It’s shocking to think that one teenager a week dies of alcohol abuse. Binge drinking can lead to violence, high risk sexual activity, depression and, in some instances, brain damage and alcohol dependence”.

“Parents perhaps believe that supervised underage drinking in the home is safe but we don’t yet know enough about whether it is possible to drink safely in this way so we need to make sure that our children are protected. Be a good role model and help to protect your child and their brain” urged Dr Bennett.

Paul Dillon, author of Teenagers, Alcohol and Drugs and Generation Next speaker, said “alcohol, like any other drug taken in large amounts, can lead to an overdose situation. ‘Binge drinking’ or ‘drinking to get drunk’ is often the cause for alcohol poisoning, particularly among young people.

When someone drinks alcohol faster than their liver can metabolize it, the amount of alcohol in the blood rises, sometimes to a danger point. This can lead to an overdose situation. At very high blood alcohol levels, a person loses consciousness and goes into a coma. People do die due to alcohol poisoning” he said.

Professor Ian Hickie, Executive Director of the University of Sydney Brain and Mind Research Institute, said that he was concerned.

“These statistics highlight the gap between best medical evidence and parental actions, while also challenging the belief parents are well-placed to assist their children avoid alcohol during the critical years of brain development,” he said.

“Parents need to understand that early exposure to alcohol can disturb a wide range of key brain functions” concluded Professor Hickie.

The Brain and Mind Research Institute studies diseases of the brain and mind, including substance abuse, clinical depression and dementia. These conditions now account for more than 40% of all illness and cost the Australian economy an estimated $30 billion each year.

Figures show that alcohol consumption at harmful levels among school age Australian teenagers increased 5% to 31% between 1999 and 20051 and that the majority of young people who drink at home say their parents buy it for them.

The dangers of under age binge drinking

• Maturation of the adolescent brain. Disruption with a neurotoxin like alcohol may lead to learning difficulties, memory problems, reduced performance on attention-based testing2
• Alcohol-associated illnesses, and
• Social problems

How can parents help?

• Be a good role model – parent’s actions and attitudes influence a young person’s life
• Talk about alcohol laws and the consequences of breaking them
• Praise a responsible attitude towards alcohol*
• Adopt a zero tolerance alcohol policy for the first 3 years of high school as children under 15 at greatest risk of harm3
• After this, if they must introduce alcohol, introduce moderate and responsible drinking in association with food4

For more help and information on the effects of under age drinking visit the following websites:

Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA) with Generation Next speaker Paul Dillon
Australian Government, Department of Health and Aging (Alcohol)   

or for brochures on  Alcohol and your kids: a guide for parents and carers and Young people -  Don’t lose your standards.

References:
*figures supplied by Bupa Australia, which operates MBF and Mutual Community.
1. Australia: the healthiest country by 2010, National Preventative Health Taskforce, 2009
2. Monash University, 2008
3. Alcohol and your kids, Department of Health and Ageing, Australian Government, 2009 (alcohol.gov.au)
4. Generation Next speaker, Michael Carr-Gregg

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.

Source: Brain and Mind Research Institute. Bupa Australia. Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA)

Generation Next presents Australia’s leading experts on children and teenagers in one event.

Generation Next is an exciting new initiative featuring a national seminar series and supporting resources aimed at protecting and enhancing the wellbeing of our children and teenagers.

Generation Next has been developed in close consultation with leading experts in adolescent psychology, drug and alcohol research, depression, cybersafety, sexualisation and bullying. The seminars address the rising tide of mental, emotional and social challenges affecting young people as they enter and begin navigate through the increasingly complex world in which we live.

Generation Next will provide professionals, parents, carers, teachers and anyone who cares about the future of Australia’s young people with accurate information and reliable advice on how to deal with these unprecedented challenges.

Generation Next Public Seminar

ADELAIDE - 21 August
For Parents, Carers and Teachers:

Venue:  AAMI Stadium. West Lakes, Adelaide
Time:    12.30pm – 5.30pm

Register online by going to Generation Next Seminars or Download the brochure.
See details and running order for “Generation Next Public Seminars”.

The Mental Health and Wellbeing of Young People 2010

SYDNEY – Friday 10 September.                
For Education, Health and Welfare Professionals:

Venue: Matthews Theatre A, University of NSW, Sydney
Time:   9am-5pm

Register online by going to Generation Next or Download the brochure.
See details and running order for “The Mental Health and Wellbeing of Young People 2010″.

Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.

Generation Next and Healthed invites you to attend this highly informative and educational event. No other educational event brings together so many leading experts under one roof.

This UNIQUE multi-disciplinary seminar  features leading experts who will present authoritative and practical information specifically relevant to the mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing of young people.

The aim of the seminar is to enable attendees to develop not only an understanding of the individual issues but also how they frequently interrelate across the boundaries of teaching, health, welfare, law and the community.  Hence the need for teaching, health and welfare professionals to understand how they can work together for better outcomes at all levels.

Date:    Friday 25th June 2010
Venue: Federation Auditorium, Reservoir St, Surry Hills, Sydney
Time:   9am-5pm

Issues covered include:
Bullying, Cyberbullying and Violence in Schools
It’s impact on Mental Health and Wellbeing
An update on new guidelines
Depression and Anxiety
Understanding the signs, symptoms and treatment
Alcohol, Binge Drinking, “Meow”
An update on current issues and practical solutions
Body Image and Eating Disorders
Why early detection is essential and how to spot the warning signs
Sexualisation, Consumerism and the Media
What are its effects on our Young People?
Resilience
Skills and strategies to bounce back from mental stress & trauma
Practical meditation session

Speakers include:
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg
Adolescent Psychologist

Paul Dillon
Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia

Maggie Hamilton
Author and Researcher – Sexualisation

Dr Andrew Fuller
The Resilience Foundation

Susan McLean
Cybersafety Expert, previously of Victorian State Police

Prof Stephen Touyz
Eating Disorder Specialist

Melinda Hutchings
Author, Ambassador for The Butterfly Foundation

Who should attend:
• Teachers, educators in primary, secondary, TAFE and tertiary
• Psychologists, Nurses and other Health Professionals
• Social Workers, Youth workers, teacher aides
• Student teachers
• Parents

Education points:
• PD: 6 hours
• CNE points applied for
• APS professional development points applied for

Registration:
Enquiries via Healthed Conference Management:
Phone: 1300 797 794 Fax 1300 797 792
Email: enquiries@generationnext.com.au
Web: www.generationnext.com.au
Discount Registration Available Online

Program:
Each talk is approx. 45 mins in duration with a brief question time.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.

Many teenagers who occasionally smoke cannabis don’t think that they are putting themselves at risk of developing issues of addiction or health problems as they grow older.

However Paul Dillon, author of “Teenagers, Alcohol and Drugs” and Generation Next speaker, has commented that “… experimenting with cannabis puts you at risk of coming into contact with a range of other drugs… There is also the possibility that after breaking one taboo – smoking an illegal drug like cannabis – it is much easier to break another.”

More information about the effects of smoking cannabis can be found at the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre website.

A new Australian study “Outcomes of occasional cannabis use in adolescence: 10-year follow-up study” carried out in Victoria confirms that even occasional cannabis use can lead to the use of hard drugs and excessive drink in their 20’s and beyond. The study and its findings were recently published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.

The Study:
Assessed almost 2,000 teenagers at the age of 13-14 years old
Assessed again four times during their teenage years, and
Assessed again twice in their early 20s.

The Results:
34% of the students reported using cannabis in their teens.
64% of these users said they used cannabis occasionally and the rest used it weekly
60% said they were still using cannabis by the time they reached early adulthood
77% of these users said they used cannabis occasionally, and
23% used cannabis weekly.

The Findings:

• Teenagers who occassionally used cannabis were at higher risk of illegal drug use, and alcohol and tobacco dependence when they reached early adulthood, and
• Occasional teenage cannabis users were less likely to have gained post-school qualifications by the age of 24 years.

Lead researcher Professor Louisa Degenhardt, of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre  (NDARC) at the University of New South Wales, said: “… even those students who only used cannabis occasionally in their teenage years faced a higher risk of drug problems in adulthood too.”

“It seems clear that in countries such as Australia, where cannabis use is the norm among young people, even infrequent cannabis use is related to later levels of drug use of all kinds. Whether this is due to learning processes, the influence of social networks or other factors, it is still the case that early onset occasional cannabis use is a marker for later drug use and drug problems.”

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.

Source: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre

• 80% of alcohol related injuries are serious
• 10% of injuries are carried out intentionally
• 7% of injuries are caused by another person*

 

*The Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation

The Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation (AER). AER is a not-for-profit company established in 2001 with a mandate to change the way we drink. Originally established with a federal government grant it is now an ongoing trust.

The AER has revealed that this year alone 65,000 people will be hospitalised for drink related injuries while a staggering 3,500 will die from drinking too much.

Paul Dillon author of “Teenagers, Alcohol and Drugs” and Generation Next speaker, has given some practical advice to teenagers on how to look after their friends when they drink too much. He recommends:

• Stick with them and never leave them alone
• Monitor them
• Reassure them
• Keep them comfortable and hydrated, and
• If in doubt, call for help.

The AER has recently carried out research into the drinking behaviour of young Australians and the results are alarming. The main concern is the changed drinking habits of young women who are now more likely to end up in hospital because of alcohol related injuries than their male counterparts.

Professor Ian Webster, director of the AER warns “the overall rate of alcohol-related injuries has stayed roughly about the same over the past 10 years, but it’s increasing in young women enormously”.

Doctors in many hospitals have confirmed this. “Women are more prepared to fight once they’ve been drinking,” says Dr Gordian Fulde, head of Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital’s emergency department.

“We’ve become a much more aggressive society and young women especially consider it a rite of passage to get drunk well before their 18th birthday.”

There has been a dramatic change in the sort of drunken assaults in recent years. Dr Fulde says “one thing that definitely is a trend is that we have become a lot more violent. People stomp on heads and kick. We see some really horrible injuries.”

The Australian culture as a whole accepts alcohol as a normal part of everyday life. In deed we have made it an integral part of our celebrations and it seems almost essential if we are to enjoy ourselves in the old “true blue Ozzie fashion”.

The way alcohol is marketed, especially to young people, only serves to reconfirm these beliefs. Research by Professor Sandra Jones, of the University of Wollongong, found many young people exposed to alcohol advertising believe “alcohol is required to have a good time”.

If this cycle isn’t broken, drinking patterns and injury rates are unlikely to change. “Today’s binge drinkers are tomorrow’s role models,” says Dr Fulde.

It seems that now is the time to turn these trends around so that young people are fully aware of the dangerous consequences that excessive drinking can bring.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha

Source: Sunday Telegraph

Teenagers who use cannabis in their early teens are more likely to experience hallucinations or delusions. This is the findings of a new study conducted by John McGrath, M.D., Ph.D., F.R.A.N.Z.C.P., of the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI), University of Queensland, Australia.

Due to be published in May in the Archives of General Psychiatry, a medical Journal by the American Medical Association, this study details findings into the use of cannabis by young people.

Although Cannabis is illegal, up to 190 million people around the world use it. The United Nations estimates that about 4% of the adult population are cannabis smokers. For many years there has been debate about whether or not cannabis is harmful. It was reinstated to a class B drug in 2009, having been downgraded to a class C in 2004. It remains illegal in Australia and contains many of the same cancer-causing substances as tobacco.

Paul Dillon author of Teenagers, alcohol and drugs and Generation Next seminars speaker says “when we talk about mental health problems and cannabis, we are usually talking about schizophrenia, but in recent times there has also been much more discussion about whether the use of cannabis can lead to other problems, such as depression and anxiety”.

Funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, the study took nearly 4,000 Australians born between 1981 and 1984. At the age of 21 years they were asked if they had ever used cannabis and were assessed for psychotic episodes.

McGrath found that “compared with those who had never used cannabis, young adults who had six or more years since first use of cannabis (i.e., who commenced use when around 15 years or younger) were twice as likely to develop a non-affective psychosis and were four times as likely to have high scores on the Peters et al Delusions Inventory (a measure of delusion)”. He went on to say “there was a ‘dose-response’ relationship between the variables of interest: the longer the duration since first cannabis use, the higher the risk of psychosis-related outcomes.”

They also studied a subgroup of 228 sibling pairs to assess the association between cannabis use and psychotic symptoms.  The results showed that the association between the two persisted in this subgroup.

McGrath said these findings reduced the likelihood that the association was due to unmeasured shared genetic and or environmental influences. “We compared the duration since first cannabis use in one brother versus the other brother and we found a very consistent pattern that the duration of cannabis was linking to psychosis scores,” he said.

“So that allows us to tighten up the research a little bit more.”

THE RESULTS
At the 21-year follow-up the study found:

• 17.7% reported using cannabis for three years or less (18 years old when commenced)
• 16.2% reported using cannabis for four to five years (16 to 17 years old when commenced)
• 14.3% reported using cannabis for six years or more (15 years old or younger when commenced)

THE FINDINGS

• Teenagers who used cannabis for six years or more from the age of 14 were three times more likely of developing psychotic symptoms
• 65 received a diagnosis of ‘non-affective psychosis,’ such as schizophrenia
• 233 had at least one experience of hallucinations
• The longer the participants had been using cannabis the stronger was the association with multiple psychosis-related episodes

McGrath said that “the nature of the relationship between psychosis and cannabis use is by no means simple” and more research was needed to examine the mechanisms at work.
“We may have thought that cannabis is safe but in fact for young people in particular there are risks involved – and I think it’s important that young people know that if you use cannabis from an early age you do increase your risk of a psychotic disorder,” he said.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.

Source: McGrath J, Welham J, Scott J. “Association between cannabis use and psychosis-related outcomes using sibling pair analysis in a cohort of young adults”.