Cannabis Users in Psychiatric Units Had Double the Readmission Rate
Among 370 patients admitted to a French involuntary psychiatric unit, those who tested positive for THC were more than twice as likely to be readmitted within a year.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Of 370 involuntarily admitted psychiatric patients, 130 tested THC-positive. In adjusted analyses, THC-positive status was associated with 2.29 times higher odds of one-year readmission (p=0.0082) and nearly double the odds of benzodiazepine prescriptions at discharge (OR=1.93, p=0.02), but not higher antipsychotic prescriptions.
Key Numbers
370 patients; 130 THC-positive (35%); THC+ patients were predominantly young men; adjusted OR for one-year readmission: 2.29 (p=0.0082); adjusted OR for benzodiazepine prescription at discharge: 1.93 (p=0.02); no significant difference in antipsychotic prescriptions.
How They Did This
Retrospective cohort study of all patients admitted to one secure adult psychiatry unit in France in 2016 (n=370), comparing clinical outcomes between THC-positive and THC-negative groups based on urinary drug testing.
Why This Research Matters
The strong association between cannabis use and psychiatric readmission suggests that cannabis-using patients may benefit from targeted management strategies that address substance use alongside mental health treatment.
The Bigger Picture
The finding that cannabis-using psychiatric patients have distinct treatment profiles and worse readmission outcomes supports the development of specialized dual-diagnosis approaches in acute psychiatric settings.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Single-center study in France; retrospective design; urine testing captures only recent use; cannot determine whether cannabis caused worse outcomes or reflects other risk factors; specific to involuntary admission setting.
Questions This Raises
- ?Would integrated substance use treatment during psychiatric admission reduce readmission rates?
- ?Why were cannabis-using patients more likely to receive benzodiazepines but not more antipsychotics?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- THC-positive psychiatric patients had 2.29x higher odds of one-year readmission
- Evidence Grade:
- Single-center retrospective cohort with objective drug testing and adjusted analyses, limited by observational design.
- Study Age:
- Data from 2016 admissions at a French psychiatric unit.
- Original Title:
- Impact of cannabis use on outcomes of patients admitted to an involuntary psychiatric unit: A retrospective cohort study.
- Published In:
- Journal of psychiatric research, 138, 507-513 (2021)
- Authors:
- Soler, Stephan, Montout, Christine, Pepin, Berengere, Abbar, Mocrane, Mura, Thibault, Lopez-Castroman, Jorge
- Database ID:
- RTHC-03535
Evidence Hierarchy
Looks back at existing records to find patterns.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
Does cannabis use worsen psychiatric outcomes?
In this study, patients who tested positive for cannabis at admission were more than twice as likely to be readmitted within a year. However, the study cannot determine whether cannabis directly caused worse outcomes or was a marker of other risk factors.
How were cannabis-using patients treated differently?
THC-positive patients were nearly twice as likely to be prescribed benzodiazepines at discharge, but antipsychotic prescriptions were similar between groups, suggesting a distinct clinical management profile.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-03535APA
Soler, Stephan; Montout, Christine; Pepin, Berengere; Abbar, Mocrane; Mura, Thibault; Lopez-Castroman, Jorge. (2021). Impact of cannabis use on outcomes of patients admitted to an involuntary psychiatric unit: A retrospective cohort study.. Journal of psychiatric research, 138, 507-513. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.04.024
MLA
Soler, Stephan, et al. "Impact of cannabis use on outcomes of patients admitted to an involuntary psychiatric unit: A retrospective cohort study.." Journal of psychiatric research, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.04.024
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Impact of cannabis use on outcomes of patients admitted to a..." RTHC-03535. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/soler-2021-impact-of-cannabis-use
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.