Marijuana Use & Mental Health: A Path to Schizophrenia?

Marijuana use in the United States continues to rise. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the number of people who have become addicted to marijuana or who abuse it has increased substantially.

What is marijuana?

Marijuana comes from the plant Cannabis sativa. The active chemical in marijuana is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Most users smoke or chew marijuana to get high. For more information on marijuana, marijuana addiction, and treatment for marijuana addiction, please visit our marijuana page.

Who is at risk for marijuana addiction?

Research suggests that certain factors may increase a person’s chances of becoming dependent on marijuana. These factors including living in the Western area of the United States, being male, and having Native American heritage. Additionally, having lost a spouse, or having been divorced or separated, increases the risk for marijuana addiction. This does not mean that marijuana dependence is limited to these groups. Rather, these groups may be more vulnerable to use, abuse, and addiction.

What is the connection between marijuana use and mental health?

Multiple research studies have indicated that there may be a connection between marijuana use and certain mental illnesses like depression and schizophrenia. One study that shadowed young adults for a period of seven years showed that women who used marijuana daily were five times more likely to show signs of depression and anxiety at the conclusion of the study. Another study examined marijuana use using twins. The study concluded that both environment and genetics may play a role in outcomes.

Scholars acknowledge that the relationship between marijuana use and mental illness is still unclear; perhaps marijuana use does not cause mental illness, but rather, individuals who may have current or future disposition for mental illness are more likely to begin using and/or become addicted. If marijuana use does cause mental illness, it’s unclear whether the appearance of mental illness after prolonged use is a risk factor for the general population or only brings out addiction and mental illness in those with a genetic predisposition for them.

What is schizophrenia?

While schizophrenia may appear in a number of forms, individuals with schizophrenia often have difficulty understanding reality; this difficulty may manifest itself in paranoid delusions, disorganized speech and/or thought, and/or hallucinations. The onset of schizophrenia varies between males and females but generally occurs when an individual is 20-32 years of age. People with schizophrenia may have trouble interacting in social situations. Schizophrenia can be treated with medicine and forms of psychotherapy like cognitive behavior therapy.