Schizophrenia Daily News Blog

Researcher Interviews, TV, etc.

Following is another interview and an upcoming TV program (in Australia on Monday, March 8th) on the issue of Cannabis (Marijuana) and Schizophrenia.

This week there has been a flood of news on this topic in the International media - strangely I never see anything on the issue in the American popular press. The more I read the international news services (BBC, etc.) the more I realize how bad the regular news services are in the USA. Here is an important issue -- schizophrenia impacts millions of people in the US and costs over $30 billion a year in health services -- and the American press is completely missing the boat. I guess there are too many important news stories to do on "Paris Hilton", why waste coverage time on schizophrenia?

Anyway - here are the links to the interview and TV Program:

Interview - Professor Wayne Hall
An interview with Professor Wayne Hall, Director of Policy and Ethics, Institute for Molecular Bio-Science, Queensland University.

"what disorders are associated with cannabis?

R. Well apart from dependence, I guess psychosis is the most worrying one and that’s … been the greatest subject of this research. Depression’s not as well researched, but there’s some suggestion - including work done in Australia - that people who are depressed and use cannabis may well make their problem worse, and in the case of psychosis we’re talking about schizophrenia and possibly manic depressive or bipolar illness being either exacerbated or precipitated by the use of cannabis"

TV Program: Messing With Heads
Reporter: Janine Cohen

Broadcast: 07/03/2005

"Imagine taking every single emotion, memory, experience, tablet all into one … and those fighting each other to see who is the victor." - Danny, 22.

There will also be an on-line live chat with some of the top professors focused on prevention and early identification of schizophrenia on Monday. Perhaps you can check it out. Dr. Pat McGorry is a good guy - and helped us here at the site earlier when he reviewed our list of factors that are involved in causing schizophrenia

Monday's Forum on Schizophrenia in Australia