Hence why I'm asking for proof...

 

Well, I recognize that we're WAY up to post #25 already, but you may wish to look back at post #19. It's a lot to store in short-term memory, so I won't be too hard on you about it.

lol, and I even missed the pretty picture & video.

That's called denial and supression and it isn't a very effective treatment method.

 

well its better than nothing, isnt it?

iNow, what do the labels on the axes of the diagram mean?

 

iNow, what do the labels on the axes of the diagram mean?

 

Hi Athiest,

 

I'm not sure how much you do or do not understand, so I might wind up explaining parts you already knew. Sorry if I do.

 

The y-axis shows the number of cases of schizophrenia (for each 1,000 participants measured) found in the study. The x-axis shows number of times the participants in that study reported using cannabis. The trend implies that, as cannabis use goes up among participants, so does the likelihood of schizophrenia.

 

 

The chart was taken from the following study:

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=2892048&query_hl=15

The association between level of cannabis consumption and development of schizophrenia during a 15-year follow-up was studied in a cohort of 45,570 Swedish conscripts. The relative risk for schizophrenia among high consumers of cannabis (use on more than fifty occasions) was 6.0 (95% confidence interval 4.0-8.9) compared with non-users. Persistence of the association after allowance for other psychiatric illness and social background indicated that cannabis is an independent risk factor for schizophrenia.

 

 

This team also did a follow-up study in 1999:

 

http://www.springerlink.com/content/yaal2jhavu8kqta5/

A total of 39 schizophrenic patients with a history of current cannabis abuse at index admission was compared with a control group of schizophrenics without substance abuse matched for age, gender, and year of admission. At follow-up after 68.7 - 28.3 months, 27/ 39 cases and 26/39 controls could be investigated. 8/27 cases (30%) had continued cannabis abuse, 6/27 (22%) had become alcohol abusers. Only one patient of the control group had started abusing alcohol. Patients with previous cannabis abuse had significantly more rehospitalizations, tended to worse psychosocial functioning, and scored significantly higher on the psychopathological syndromes "thought disturbance" (BPRS) and "hostility" (AMDP). These results confirm the major impact of cannabis abuse on the long-term outcome of schizophrenic patients.

 

 

Be cautious looking at results in any study though. Some of the studies really only show that schizophrenics frequently use cannabis, and correlation does not prove causation... So just be sure to read closely what you see. I am personally confident, based on what I've read and personnally experienced, that frequent use is associated with greater likelihood of schizophrenic episodes. I hope this helps.