Major research suggests that chronic cannabis use significantly increases the risk of mental health problems and personality disorders.
A study of more than 6.6 million people in Denmark found that marijuana addicts were up to four times more likely to be diagnosed with major depression or bipolar disorder.
They investigated people with cannabis use disorder (CUD). CUD is defined as irreversible, even if it harms health and social life.
Associated with population growth and aging, cases of depression have increased in recent decades. But researchers warn that marijuana could become more common as marijuana becomes more legal. Allowed for recreational use in 22 US states.
An analysis of 6.6 million people found that chronic cannabis smoking was associated with a 4.1-fold increased risk of bipolar psychosis and a 1.8-fold increased risk of all forms of depression.
Researchers found 14 percent of people with cannabis use disorders were later diagnosed with bipolar disorder
Researchers at Denmark’s Aarhus University Hospital analyzed the medical records of people born between 1995 and 2021.
All participants were over the age of 16. They’re all from Denmark, too, and while recreational cannabis use is illegal, it’s still available through the black market.
Participants’ medical files were checked for cannabis use disorder, history of major depression, presence of psychotic features, and presence of bipolar disorder.
Major depression is defined as feeling depressed or disinterested in previously enjoyed activities for more than 2 weeks.
Bipolar disorder is an illness that causes mood swings ranging from depressive lows to manic highs.
Both disorders may be accompanied by psychotic features such as delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and agitation.
Approximately 56,000 participants had cannabis use disorders.
About 41% of them were diagnosed with major depression. Nearly all (96%) of these diagnoses were nonpsychotic major depression.
The risk of major depression was highest immediately after being diagnosed with a cannabis use disorder, but remained “significantly elevated until 5 to 10 years after CUD,” the researchers said.
Approximately 56,000 participants had cannabis use disorders.About 41 percent of them were diagnosed with major depression
Nearly all (96%) of major depression diagnoses were nonpsychotic depression
The study’s findings are consistent with previous studies that showed a significant link between cannabis use and depression, but not bipolar disorder.
They also found that 14 percent of people with cannabis use disorders were later diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Again, most patients (90%) had nonpsychotic bipolar disorder.
Cannabis use disorder is associated with an increased risk of all forms of bipolar disorder in men, 2.5 times higher for women and 3 times more likely for men to suffer from the condition. I’m here.
The same was true for non-psychotic bipolar disorder, with male chronic cannabis users three times more likely to be diagnosed and female users 2.6 times more likely to be diagnosed.
The results of this study are consistent with previous studies that showed a significant association between cannabis use and depression, but not with bipolar disorder.
The results indicate that cannabis can cause “predominantly psychotomimetic effects”, i.e. psychotomimetic reactions such as delusions, delirium and hallucinations.
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive component of cannabis, increases the risk of psychosis by acting on cannabinoid receptors and disrupting the normal functioning of the parts of the brain that process information and determine behavior. It is believed that
“There is a lack of consistent models of how cannabis affects the development of affective disorders,” the researchers noted.
There is also lack of evidence that quitting cannabis reduces the risk of being diagnosed with a mental disorder.
They said the results of the study show a need for “improving our knowledge of the dose-dependent effects of cannabis use on the brain, cognition and behavior” and have implications for cannabis legalization.
The study was published in a journal JAMAPsychiatry.
Several previous studies have found a link between cannabis and schizophrenia, but the exact cause is unclear.
Marijuana can cause psychosis and impair the way you think, make decisions, handle emotions, and relate to reality.
It can also interfere with brain development in young people.
However, people with schizophrenia may simply be using cannabis to relieve their symptoms.
