Psychological Interventions for Cannabis Use among Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review.

Regular cannabis use during adolescence can lead to cognitive, psychological, and social consequences, causing significant distress. Although psychological interventions are the mainstay type of treatment for cannabis use disorder, the results remain mixed among youths. The objective of this review is twofold: to identify the existing psychological interventions for cannabis use among youths, and to assess the evidence regarding the effectiveness of those interventions. Randomized controlled trials focused exclusively on cannabis use among adolescents and young adults were included. Three databases-Embase, PsycInfo, and PubMed-were searched to identify relevant peer-reviewed manuscripts published before February 2022 in English and French. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration's tool. Twenty-five randomized controlled trials were included. Fourteen studies reported a significant outcome related to cannabis use. These were mainly non-intensive, online interventions that aimed to improve the patients' relationships and emotion regulation. This review highlights the need to conduct additional randomized control trials that target cannabis use disorder specifically among adolescents. These randomized control trials should also aim to reduce the risk of bias related to psychiatric comorbidities as well as detection and attrition problems.

Late-life attachment.

Old age is likely to cause a crisis in one's life because of the vulnerabilities it brings up, acting as stressful elements disrupting the elder's feeling of security. It leads to the activation of what is called his attachment system, consisting in attachment styles and interpersonal emotional regulation strategies. To recover a higher sense of safety, the elder would refer to his attachment figures, that is to say closed people paying attention to him, showing towards him availability and consideration. However older adults particularly see their tolerance threshold lowered, regarding an accumulation of losses (true or symbolic) and stressful events within their lifetime. In a psychological and organic exhaustion phenomenon, the risk is to wear out the interpersonal emotional regulation strategies. These are as much vulnerabilities that may increase psychiatric decompensation, including depression. To resolve the tension of this period and to found a necessary secure feeling, the elder will have to redesign the attachment links previously settled and proceed to adjustments to this new context. The need of relational closeness comes back in the elders' attachment behaviour, counting on attachment figures not only to help their loneliness or dependency, but essentially to support them in a narcissist and affective way. That is why attachment theory enlightens the late life period, such as the new challenges older adults have to face. Many studies recognize its value in understanding the transition to old age, but without proposing conceptualization. We aim first to focus on attachment conception to say how much it is relevant with elderly, and then to describe specific terms of attachment within this population in order to better understand those patients. To finish, we must think about new therapeutic proposals taking into consideration the attachment perspective for a better understanding of old age transition.

Association between ABCB1 C3435T polymorphism and increased risk of cannabis dependence.

Prolonged cannabis use has a significant impact on health and well-being. Genetic factors are known to influence cannabis dependence, but few specific genetic markers have been identified. ABCB1 polymorphisms are known to modify drug pharmacokinetics but have yet to be studied for their role in generating and maintaining cannabis dependence. The objective of this study is to determine if ABCB1 C3435T polymorphism may represent an independent genetic marker for cannabis dependence risk. An open bi-centric association study was conducted in two French Addiction Centres. Caucasian patients diagnosed with isolated cannabis dependence were compared with healthy age-matched controls for socio-demographic, clinical and genetic data using chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, or Mann-Whitney U test. Independent association between ABCB1 C3435T SNP marker and cannabis dependence was evaluated using multiple logistic regression analysis. Versus controls (n=40), patients with cannabis dependence (n=40) had a significantly higher 3435C allele frequency (62.5% versus 43.8% respectively, P=0.017) and CC genotype (50% versus 20%, P=0.005, OR=4.00 [1.50-10.60]). Multiple logistic regression analysis of the C3435T SNP and variables identified in univariate analyses indicated that the CC genotype was independently associated with cannabis dependence (P=0.045, OR=6.61 [1.05-46.58]). This is the first time a significant specific genetic marker has been shown in cannabis dependence. ABCB1 polymorphisms may alter Delta9THC distribution, its psychoactive effects and individual vulnerability to dependence. These results pave the way to a new pharmacogenetic hypothesis in cannabis dependence.

[Treatment of cannabis dependence]. / Traitement de la dépendance au cannabis.

Cannabis is the most regularly used illicit drug in the world. Yet, until recently, there existed no therapeutic intervention for the users of this product. This was due to the fact that cannabis has always been considered a substance that doesn't lead to dependence and thus didn't necessitate a management plan for quitting. The results of the first studies in the domain of cannabis dependence suggest that this pathology responds to the same types of treatments for alcohol and tobacco dependence.

[Psychiatric emergencies in drug addiction]. / Urgences psychiatriques en addictologie.

The practitioner is very frequently confronted by emergencies in drug-addicted patients also having psychiatric symptomatology. In this article the authors will address emergencies related to alcohol (notably intoxication, pre-DTs and the encephalopathies); emergencies related to cannabis (notably intoxication, psychotic states and panic attacks); and emergencies related to other psycho-active substances (overdoses, drug-withdrawal, psychiatric complications related to cocaine or amphetamines). In the domain of drug addiction, as in psychiatry, the practitioner must give as much importance to the organisation of the long-term healthcare plan for the drug addict, ulterior to the management of the immediate emergency. For example, whereas 90% of subjects presenting to the emergency department for acute alcoholic intoxication have a pathological consumption of alcohol (abuse or dependance), management of the alcoholism is proposed in only 2% of them.