People with mental illnesses are 7 times more likely to use cannabis every week, according to researchers at the Canadian Center for Addiction and Mental Health who analyzed US data on 43,000 respondents. Scientists were thus able to assess the link between cannabis use and various mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, alcohol-related disorders and personality disorders.
The results of the study showed that people who reported multiple weekly cannabis use had high rates of mental illness, including bipolar disorders personality and other addictions. People with mental illness are 10 times more likely to be addicted to cannabis, with 4% being addicted compared to 0.4% among people without a mental illness. Additionally, cannabis use appears to make symptoms worse.
This Canadian study corroborates the results of a other research project conducted by the British Medical Journal last year which found links between cannabis use and the development of psychotic disorders.
