Study links adolescent cannabis use with psychosis

Adolescents who used cannabis reported more psychosis symptoms and greater distress from those symptoms than teens who never used cannabis, according to a cohort study of 11,868 adolescents. The findings were consistent with the self-medication hypothesis, suggesting that cannabis use may be an effort to alleviate underlying psychosis rather than directly causing increased vulnerability. The researchers concluded that both shared vulnerability and self-medication effects should be considered when modeling cannabis-psychosis risk associations. Data came from five waves across four years of follow-up from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.

Study at a glance

Abstract

A cohort study of 11,868 adolescents found that those who used cannabis at any point reported a greater number of psychosis symptoms, and more distress from those symptoms, compared to teens who never used cannabis. This study, “Psychosis Spectrum Symptoms Before and After Adolescent Cannabis Use Initiation,” published last week in JAMA Psychiatry, sought to answer the question of whether the cannabis use is an effort to self‐medicate underlying psychosis, or contributes to increased vulnerability to psychosis. Findings were consistent with the self‐medication hypothesis. The researchers concluded that it is important to account for both shared vulnerability, and self‐medication effects, when modeling cannabis‐psychosis risk associations. The study used data from 5 waves across 4 years of followup from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.