In young men, up to 30 percent of all cases of schizophrenia can be traced to problematic cannabis use. Researchers write that in the journal “Psychological Medicine”.
In a huge dataset from Denmark, they looked at the relationship between so-called cannabis use disorders (CUD) and schizophrenia. CUD criteria include heavy use, strong craving for the drug, or giving up or limiting important social, work, or leisure activities.
Previous studies had already shown that cannabis use disorders can be associated with serious mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia – this applies to both men and women. Now researchers around Carsten Hjorthøj of Copenhagen University Hospital have investigated who is most at risk.
The analysis shows that 15 percent of all male schizophrenia in Denmark could have been prevented by 2021 without cannabis use disorders (CUS). For women it was four percent. The proportion was particularly high at up to 30 percent among younger men aged 21 to 30. The researchers conclude that CUS is an important risk factor for schizophrenia.
Their representative, national study builds on the result of a case-control study from 2019, which showed that the number of psychotic disorders is particularly high in cities where cannabis products with a particularly high THC content are regularly consumed.
Eleven European cities were surveyed at the time, with Amsterdam and London in first place. Consequently, the strength of the cannabis consumed could also be relevant to the risk of schizophrenia, the researchers suspect. (sda/dpa)
source: watson
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