Clinical and dynamic features of the course of bipolar affective disorder comorbid with cannabinoid addiction syndrome

The study devoted to the clinical and dynamic features of the course of bipolar affective disorder (BPAD) comorbid with cannabinoid dependence syndrome included 104 patients aged 23 to 28 years (mean age 25.19 ± 1.74 years). All study participants were divided into two groups: the first, main group included 54 respondents with a clinically proven BPAD diagnosis (F31 according to ICD-10) comorbid with cannabinoid dependence syndrome (F12.2 according to ICD-10) with the onset of use of cannabinoids after the BPAD diagnosis; the second, control group consisted of 50 patients with clinically proven BPAD diagnosis (F31 according to ICD-10). The duration of the disease in both groups is more than 3 years. All patients included in the study received adequate psychopharmacotherapy.

In the main group, the absence of symptoms of depression was noted in 63% of cases, a low level of anxiety — in 29% of cases, the duration of remission over 2 months — in 39% of cases. A decrease in the intensity of symptoms such as sadness, melancholy, despondency was noted. In addition, 74% of the main group respondents looked to normalization of sleep, more than 60% — stabilization of the emotional background, 81% — appetite enhancement and weight gain. Analyzing the obtained results, it can be assumed that the use of cannabinoids in individuals with BPAD paradoxically alleviates certain symptoms of the disease, which requires further discussion and research.

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