May 5, 2023 – Up to 30% of schizophrenia cases in young men might have been prevented in the event that they had abstained from using marijuana, based on a recent study.
“The intertwining of substance abuse disorders and mental illness is a major public health problem that requires urgent action and support for those who need it,” said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, in a opinion“As access to potent cannabis products continues to improve, it is critical that we also expand prevention, screening and treatment for people who may experience mental health conditions related to cannabis use.”
An individual with cannabis use disorder (marijuana use disorder) is unable to stop using the drug despite the negative impact it has on their life. Schizophrenia is a mental illness characterised by a detachment from reality that affects an individual's way of pondering, feelings, and behavior. There are treatment options for each illnesses.
This latest study was conducted in Denmark as a part of a collaboration between US and Danish researchers. They found that individuals of each sexes have an increased risk of developing schizophrenia if in addition they have a diagnosis of cannabis use disorder (CUD), but the best risk is in the event you are young, male and have cannabis use disorder.
The researchers concluded that 30% of schizophrenia cases in 2021 amongst men ages 21 to 30 and 15% of cases amongst men ages 16 to 49 might have been prevented if the boys had not had clinical marijuana problems. study was published this week in Psychological medicineIt included 50 years of Danish health data for six.9 million people aged 16-49 between 1972 and 2021.
Previous research has shown that cannabis' psychoactive ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), can trigger or worsen schizophrenia. Long-term and heavy cannabis use can alter the way in which the brain works, and particularly affects the developing brains of teenagers.