Cannabis Use, First-Episode Psychosis, and Schizotypy: A Summary and Synthesis of Recent Literature

Schizophrenia currently is conceptualized as a neurodevelopmental disorder, the expression of which is affected by both genetic and environmental factors. Schizotypy is a dimensional personality construct that is the substrate of schizotypal personality disorder (SPD), and its positive, negative, and cognitive features are subclinical manifestations that mirror the symptoms of schizophrenia. Research indicates that both schizophrenia and schizotypy are linked with cannabis use. In this overview, recent literature on the following topics is summarized: (1) cannabis use as a potential risk factor, or component cause, of schizophrenia, (2) prevalence and clinical correlates of cannabis use among individuals in the early course of schizophrenia, (3) clinical and psychosocial outcomes of schizophrenia that are influenced by cannabis use, and (4) associations between cannabis use and schizotypy. Implications and future research directions are discussed. Growing evidence points to the complex and informative interconnections between cannabis use, schizotypy, and firstepisode psychosis.