Frequent cannabis use is linked to a higher risk of mental health problems, including psychosis, depression, and suicide. Until now, however, few studies have used health records to examine trends in cannabis-mental health associations over time.
In the current study, researchers examined trends of cannabis-related hospital visits in Arizona between 2016 and 2021 alongside hospital visits for a mental health condition. To do so, they analyzed emergency department and inpatient hospital discharge records, including 18.8 million hospital visits.
Ultimately, they found that cannabis-related hospital visits increased by 20% between 2016 and 2021. Increases were largest for adolescents and adults aged 65 years and older- at 63.4% and 84.45%, respectively. The researchers further found that cannabis-related visits were 7.75 times more likely than non-cannabis-related visits to have a mental health condition as a primary diagnosis. This likelihood fell to 2.32 times after adjusting for covariates, including alcohol and other substance-related diagnoses.
The reasons behind the rising rate of cannabis-related visits remain unclear, said Madeline Meier, Ph.D., an associate professor of psychology at Arizona State University, in a press release. She added that the study also can’t address why so many people with cannabis-related hospital visits have a mental health condition, and why the connection between the two is growing stronger with time.
She noted, however, that possible explanations include that cannabis use led to mental health conditions in some people and that some treat mental health symptoms with cannabis, a tendency is increasing over time.
“I think it’s important for people to be aware that the science on using cannabis to treat mental health problems is really not there yet. In fact, there is evidence suggesting that cannabis use can worsen mental health conditions, or even increase the risk of developing them,” said Meier.
Sources: EurekAlert, Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
