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The relationship between cannabis involvement and suicidal thoughts and behaviors
M J Delforterie1, M T Lynskey2, A C Huizink1
1VU University, Department of Developmental Psychology and EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
|March 17, 2015
Summary
Cannabis use is linked to suicidal thoughts and unplanned suicide attempts. These associations persist even when accounting for other substance use and mental health conditions.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Addiction Research
- Genetics
Background:
- Investigating the complex relationship between cannabis involvement and suicidal behaviors.
- Differentiating between planned and unplanned suicide attempts in relation to cannabis use.
- Considering the influence of other substance involvement and psychopathology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between varying levels of cannabis involvement and suicidal ideation (SI), suicide plans, and suicide attempts.
- To differentiate between planned and unplanned suicide attempts in the context of cannabis use.
- To explore the genetic and environmental overlap between cannabis involvement and SI using twin analyses.
Main Methods:
- Utilized two community-based twin samples (N=9583) from the Australian Twin Registry.
- Assessed cannabis involvement using the Semi-Structured Assessment of the Genetics of Alcoholism (SSAGA), categorizing use into no use, cannabis use only, 1-2 cannabis use disorder symptoms, and ≥3 symptoms.
- Conducted multinomial logistic regression for SI and suicide attempts, and twin analyses for genetic overlap.
Main Results:
- All levels of cannabis involvement were significantly associated with suicidal ideation (ORs=1.28-2.00, p<0.01).
- Cannabis use and endorsing ≥3 cannabis use disorder symptoms were linked to unplanned suicide attempts (ORs=1.95, 2.51; p<0.05), but not planned attempts.
- Associations remained significant after controlling for other psychiatric disorders and substance involvement; significant genetic (rG=0.45) and environmental (rE=0.21) overlap was found.
Conclusions:
- Cannabis involvement shows a modest association with suicidal ideation and unplanned suicide attempts.
- The link between cannabis use, cannabis use disorder symptoms, and difficult-to-prevent unplanned suicide attempts warrants further investigation.
- Future research should include diverse samples and rigorously control for confounding factors.
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