Mapping the pathways between recreational cannabis use and mood disorders: A Behaviour Sequence Analysis approach

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Recreational cannabis use is prevalent globally, despite legal restrictions.
• Existing research links cannabis use to adverse mental wellbeing outcomes, including psychosis, depression, and anxiety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the temporal dynamics between recreational cannabis use and mental health issues.
• To explore the sequential relationship between cannabis use and mood disorders, psychosis, depression, and anxiety.

Main Methods:

• Utilized behavior sequence analysis (BSA), a novel methodological approach.
• Analyzed autobiographical accounts from 61 participants to understand temporal relationships.

Main Results:

• Identified a bi-directional temporal ordering between cannabis use and mood disorders.
• Found that cannabis use can precede psychosis and exacerbate symptoms of psychosis, depression, and anxiety.
• Low self-esteem emerged as a potential predictor of future cannabis use.

Conclusions:

• Established a link between mood disorders and recreational cannabis use.
• Demonstrated the utility of BSA for mapping individual life history pathways.
• Highlighted the complex, non-linear pathways between cannabis use and mental health, emphasizing the need for holistic clinical assessment.