VIDEO: Psychiatrists should screen for cannabis use in standard history
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SAN FRANCISCO — Psychiatrists should ask patients about using all substances, including alcohol, tobacco and cannabis, to see if they are interested in learning how that use affects them, Smita Das, MD, PhD, MPH, of Stanford University, says in this Healio video.
Das, who spoke on this topic at the American Psychiatric Association annual meeting, said that it is now more common for patients to seek treatment for cannabis use disorder, with the increase in access and potency.
“We diagnose any substance use disorder by the impact that use has on their life,” she said. “More and more patients are coming in reporting that cannabis use has negatively impacted their life and wanting to find strategies to quit.
“My suggestion for the psychiatrist is to screen and ask, and when we ask about cannabis use, not everybody is going to volunteer that information, so going through all of the substances, including alcohol, tobacco and cannabis is really important in our standard history.”
They may not be interested in changing their habits or quitting, but they may be willing to continue the conversation, she said.