Effects of cannabis use on cognitive function and clinical features of bipolar disorder

Aims: This study aims to compare the cognitive function of patients having dual diagnosis of bipolar affective disorder and cannabis dependence with those having either diagnosis alone and with healthycontrols. Settings and Design: Hospital‑based study. Subjects and Methods: Study subjectswere selected from patients attending psychiatry outpatient department in the presence of two senior consultant psychiatrists. Among the pool of the patients, only those who meet the inclusionand exclusion criteria were selected for the study. Then the selected patients were administered the semi‑structured sociodemographic data sheet, Young Mania Rating Scale, Hamilton Depression RatingScale, General Health Questionnaire‑12, Trail Making Test Part A and Part B, verbal fluency tests, Stroop Neuropsychological Screening Test, clock drawing test. Statistical analysis was done by usingappropriate statistical methods. Statistical analysis was done with the help of Statistical Package for Social Science‑20 (SPSS‑20, International Business Machines Corporation (IBM)). Results: The resultsof our study showed there was significant impairment of cognitive function of the patients of bipolar with cannabis dependence than the patients of bipolar disorder or cannabis dependence alone. Ithad been also found that with an increase in age of onset of bipolar disorder, there was decrease in no of episode, decrease current duration, and inter‑episodic recovery was better. Conclusions: Thesignificant cognitive function impairment exists in bipolar with cannabis dependence and the severity of bipolar outcome correlate with the extent of cannabis use also. In spite of certain limitations suchas small sample size, short follow‑up time, absence of Indian version of neuropsychological tests, and referral bias inherent in hospital‑based studies; present study provides valuable empirical insightinto complex relationship between cannabis dependence, bipolar disorder, and cognitive dysfunction.

Keywords:

Bipolar disorder , cannabis , cognition