Cannabis use and risk of psychotic or affective mental health outcomes: a systematic review
- PMID: 17662880
- DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61162-3
Cannabis use and risk of psychotic or affective mental health outcomes: a systematic review
Abstract
Background: Whether cannabis can cause psychotic or affective symptoms that persist beyond transient intoxication is unclear. We systematically reviewed the evidence pertaining to cannabis use and occurrence of psychotic or affective mental health outcomes.
Methods: We searched Medline, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ISI Web of Knowledge, ISI Proceedings, ZETOC, BIOSIS, LILACS, and MEDCARIB from their inception to September, 2006, searched reference lists of studies selected for inclusion, and contacted experts. Studies were included if longitudinal and population based. 35 studies from 4804 references were included. Data extraction and quality assessment were done independently and in duplicate.
Findings: There was an increased risk of any psychotic outcome in individuals who had ever used cannabis (pooled adjusted odds ratio=1.41, 95% CI 1.20-1.65). Findings were consistent with a dose-response effect, with greater risk in people who used cannabis most frequently (2.09, 1.54-2.84). Results of analyses restricted to studies of more clinically relevant psychotic disorders were similar. Depression, suicidal thoughts, and anxiety outcomes were examined separately. Findings for these outcomes were less consistent, and fewer attempts were made to address non-causal explanations, than for psychosis. A substantial confounding effect was present for both psychotic and affective outcomes.
Interpretation: The evidence is consistent with the view that cannabis increases risk of psychotic outcomes independently of confounding and transient intoxication effects, although evidence for affective outcomes is less strong. The uncertainty about whether cannabis causes psychosis is unlikely to be resolved by further longitudinal studies such as those reviewed here. However, we conclude that there is now sufficient evidence to warn young people that using cannabis could increase their risk of developing a psychotic illness later in life.
Comment in
-
Cannabis use and risk of psychosis in later life.Lancet. 2007 Jul 28;370(9584):293-4. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61135-0. Lancet. 2007. PMID: 17662860 No abstract available.
-
Cannabis and psychosis.Lancet. 2007 Nov 3;370(9598):1539; author reply 1539-40. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61651-1. Lancet. 2007. PMID: 17980727 No abstract available.
-
Cannabis and psychosis.Lancet. 2007 Nov 3;370(9598):1540. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61654-7. Lancet. 2007. PMID: 17980729 No abstract available.
-
Cannabis and psychosis.Lancet. 2007 Nov 3;370(9598):1540. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61653-5. Lancet. 2007. PMID: 17980730 No abstract available.
-
Review: cannabis use increases the risk of psychotic outcomes.Evid Based Ment Health. 2008 Feb;11(1):28. doi: 10.1136/ebmh.11.1.28. Evid Based Ment Health. 2008. PMID: 18223063 No abstract available.
-
Review: use of cannabis is associated with increased risk of psychotic outcomes later in life.Evid Based Nurs. 2008 Jul;11(3):90. doi: 10.1136/ebn.11.3.90. Evid Based Nurs. 2008. PMID: 18583502 No abstract available.
Similar articles
-
An overview of systematic reviews on cannabis and psychosis: discussing apparently conflicting results.Drug Alcohol Rev. 2010 May;29(3):304-17. doi: 10.1111/j.1465-3362.2009.00132.x. Drug Alcohol Rev. 2010. PMID: 20565524 Review.
-
Psychiatric symptoms in cannabis users.Br J Psychiatry. 1993 Aug;163:141-9. doi: 10.1192/bjp.163.2.141. Br J Psychiatry. 1993. PMID: 8075903 Review.
-
Effects of cannabis use on outcomes of psychotic disorders: systematic review.Br J Psychiatry. 2008 Nov;193(5):357-63. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.107.046375. Br J Psychiatry. 2008. PMID: 18978312 Review.
-
Cannabis abuse and severity of psychotic and affective disorders in Israeli psychiatric inpatients.Compr Psychiatry. 2010 Jan-Feb;51(1):37-41. doi: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2009.03.008. Epub 2009 May 6. Compr Psychiatry. 2010. PMID: 19932824
-
Cannabis as a risk factor for psychosis: systematic review.J Psychopharmacol. 2005 Mar;19(2):187-94. doi: 10.1177/0269881105049040. J Psychopharmacol. 2005. PMID: 15871146
Cited by
-
Impact of cannabinoids on synapse markers in an SH-SY5Y cell culture model.Schizophrenia (Heidelb). 2024 Oct 25;10(1):96. doi: 10.1038/s41537-024-00498-6. Schizophrenia (Heidelb). 2024. PMID: 39448630 Free PMC article.
-
DNA methylation and gene expression of immune cell markers in adolescents with chronic cannabis use: an exploratory study.BMC Psychiatry. 2024 Oct 11;24(1):676. doi: 10.1186/s12888-024-06043-0. BMC Psychiatry. 2024. PMID: 39394085 Free PMC article.
-
Does maternal education moderate the relationship between adolescent cannabis use and mental health in early adulthood?Drug Alcohol Rev. 2024 Nov;43(7):1773-1780. doi: 10.1111/dar.13945. Epub 2024 Sep 9. Drug Alcohol Rev. 2024. PMID: 39252481 Free PMC article.
-
The Role of Cannabis in the Development of Psychosis.Turk Psikiyatri Derg. 2024 Fall;35(3):234-244. doi: 10.5080/u27122. Turk Psikiyatri Derg. 2024. PMID: 39224996 Free PMC article. Review.
-
The Interrelationships between Cytokines and Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review.Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Aug 3;25(15):8477. doi: 10.3390/ijms25158477. Int J Mol Sci. 2024. PMID: 39126046 Free PMC article. Review.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Medical