Cannabis and suicide: Longitudinal study
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Some studies suggest that cannabis use is associated with suicidal ideation, but no detailed longitudinal study has examined suicide as an outcome. AIMS: To examine the association between cannabis use and completed suicide. METHOD: A longitudinal study investigated 50 087 men conscripted for Swedish military service, with cannabis use measured non-anonymously at conscription. Suicides during 33 years of follow-up were identified by linkage with the National Cause of Death Register. RESULTS: There were 600 (1.2% of cohort) suicides or deaths from undetermined causes. Cannabis use was associated with an increased risk of suicide (crude OR for 'ever use' 1.62, 95% CI 1.28-2.07), but this association was eliminated after adjustment for confounding (adjusted OR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.65-1.20). CONCLUSIONS: Although there was a strong association between cannabis use and suicide, this was explained by markers of psychological and behavioural problems. These results suggest that cannabis use is unlikely to have a strong effect on risk of completed suicide, either directly or as a consequence of mental health problems secondary to its use.
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There is some evidence of specificity of outcome for cannabis and psychosis, though this is not seen in all studies.
“There is also some evidence of specificity of outcome (10,56) though this is not seen in all studies (57).”
From Association Between Cannabis and Psychosis: Epidemiologic Evidence (2016) · cites this paper as [56]
Citation 57 is attached to the qualification that specificity of outcome is not seen in all studies. The Discussion says the opposite for this cohort: adjustment eliminated the cannabis–suicide association but did not eliminate the cannabis–schizophrenia association. (LLM, conf=0.85)
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- Authors
- Price, C., Hemmingsson, T., Lewis, G., Zammit, S., & Allebeck, P.
- Affiliations
- Cardiff University (GB)
- Karolinska Institutet (SE)
- University of Bristol (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Zammit, Stanley
- Venue
- British Journal of Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
- Published
- 2009-12
- Volume
- 195
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 492-497
- ISSN
- 0007-1250 (ISSN-L)
- 1472-1465
- OpenAlex
- W2102717712
- Cited by
- 97
- References
- 22
- Citations by year
- 2025: 6 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 8
- FWCI
- 7.77
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- The British Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Keywords
- cannabis use, suicide, suicide mortality, suicidal ideation, conscripts, mental illness, behavioral problems, cannabis and mental health
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Marijuana Abuse, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Military Personnel, Risk Factors, Suicide, Sweden, Odds Ratio, Young Adult
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