Explain adolescent cannabis use disorder and the cannabis-psychosis question to parents — OSCE

Candidate instructions

You are the paediatric registrar. The parents of a 16-year-old boy with daily cannabis use since age 13, falling school marks and a new risky peer group have ten minutes with you. They have read online that cannabis causes psychosis and are frightened, and they blame themselves. Explain, in plain language: (1) what a cannabis use disorder is and that it is a treatable condition, not a character flaw; (2) how the diagnosis is made on a pattern of symptoms, not a drug test; (3) what treatment looks like and why it works; and (4) an honest, balanced account of the cannabis-and-psychosis evidence and how you will monitor his mental health. Invite their questions and agree a shared plan. Do not lecture; check understanding throughout. ^[2]