Cannabis Use Disorder Linked to Increased Psychiatric Risk

⁤ Updated June 22,⁣ 2025
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A new Yale School of Medicine study indicates that ⁤cannabis use disorder elevates the risk of developing psychiatric disorders. The research, published in Nature⁢ Mental Health, analyzed genome-wide ⁢association studies ⁤(GWAS) to explore the relationship between cannabis use, cannabis use disorder, and various psychiatric conditions.

Marco Galimberti,associate research scientist ⁢at ⁢Yale,noted that while some reports suggest ⁣cannabis benefits mental health,their study demonstrates that individuals with cannabis use disorder face a heightened risk of psychiatric illnesses.

The 2021 National Survey⁣ on Drug Use and Health estimated that 52.5 million Americans aged 12 and older have⁣ used cannabis. Approximately 30% of cannabis users develop cannabis use disorder, ⁢a condition marked by problematic cannabis use leading to distress or impairment.

The study identified bidirectional causal relationships. This means that not⁤ only does having a psychiatric condition increase ⁢the risk of developing cannabis use disorder, but having cannabis use disorder also increases the risk of ⁤developing a psychiatric disorder.

The findings confirmed previous links between cannabis use disorder‍ and schizophrenia ⁤and bipolar disorder. Moreover, the study established new bidirectional relationships⁢ between cannabis use disorder and⁢ anxiety disorder, major depressive ‍disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder⁢ (PTSD).

Joel Gelernter, professor of psychiatry, genetics, and neuroscience at⁣ Yale,⁣ cautioned against using ⁤cannabis as a ⁢treatment for PTSD.⁢ “We show that over time,⁤ cannabis is more likely to cause PTSD than⁤ to treat it,” Gelernter said. He emphasized the need for clinical trials to validate cannabis as ⁤a ⁤medication for various conditions.

The researchers suggest that public health officials can use these findings to assess‍ the potential risks and benefits of cannabis use for individuals with mental health disorders.

“With medical marijuana becoming increasingly legalized, many clinicians have been willing to prescribe cannabis for a range of disorders,” said gelernter. “Our study⁣ shows that this may not be the best practice.‍ We need randomized clinical trials to show whether cannabis works in order for it‍ to be reasonably considered a ⁣medication.”

What’s⁣ next

Future research should focus on randomized clinical trials to determine the efficacy of cannabis as a treatment for mental health disorders, according to the researchers. This will provide clinicians ⁢with evidence-based guidelines for prescribing cannabis.