Grant: Project Grant

Psychotic disorders, like schizophrenia, often begin in young adulthood and significantly impact people's lives. Young adults experiencing their first episode of psychosis (FEP) are more likely to be dependent on cannabis compared to the general population. Reducing their cannabis use is crucial, as it lowers the risk of psychosis relapse and improves other treatment outcomes. While in-person treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and motivational interviewing (MI) can be effective in reducing cannabis use in this population, they often face barriers such as limited access and high clinician workload. App-based treatments offer a potential solution to enhance usual interventions, but none have been thoroughly tested in people with FEP until now. We created an app called iCanChange (iCC) that uses CBT and MI to help reduce cannabis use in young people with FEP and cannabis dependence. An initial study showed that they liked the app and most stayed in the study. Now, we are conducting a larger study with the main goal of demonstrating that adding iCC to standard in-person treatments for cannabis dependence leads to additional decrease in cannabis use. Secondary goals are to assess the impact of adding iCC on dependence, motivation to reduce use, quality of life, treatment satisfaction, and healthcare use. We are recruiting 300 participants aged 18-35 years with FEP and cannabis dependence from FEP clinics in Quebec, Alberta, and Nova Scotia. Participants will be randomly assigned to use iCC and services for psychosis or receive regular services for psychosis alone. We will assess participants at the start, midway, and end of 12 weeks, and after the 12 weeks follow-up. Statistical analyses will be performed to assess the comparable efficacy of iCC. This study could lead to new, effective, and accessible ways to help young people with psychosis reduce cannabis use and improve their recovery.