- The number of people reporting generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive episode nearly doubled, increasing to 5.2 per cent and 7.6 per cent, respectively.
- Suicidality didn’t change much in adults but increased by 44 per cent among youth. Younger Canadians also saw some of the strongest cannabis–mental health connections.
- The number of people using cannabis multiple times a week more than doubled, while the number of people who reported using cannabis in the last year increased to 20.7 per cent.
- Canadians who used cannabis at any level, compared to those who did not, were more likely to meet criteria for generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive episode and report suicidality. The connection between cannabis use and these mental health problems strengthened over time.
- In 2022, Canadians who used cannabis regularly (two or more times a week) were about five times more likely to report anxiety, depression, or suicidality than those who did not use cannabis.
Maybe people who suffer from these things are more likely to use cannabis for relief rather than the other way around.
Ok maybe. But that’s not profitable way to sell drugs or violently enforce prohibition. What do you expect them to do? Improve social conditions? Yeah, sure.
I guess differentiating between correlation and causation would be a good start but that whole “improving social conditions” thing sounds promising too.
Oh. Not what internet stoners want to hear.
It’s very much the opposite for me, thank goodness
You are anxious and suicidal but cannabis free?
Does that mean that if you quit using cannabis, the anxiety and depression will tone down or disappear? Are there other factors that could increase anxiety and depression, like the state of the world we’re in right now?
Does that mean that if you quit using cannabis, the anxiety and depression will tone down or disappear?
It could mean the opposite. That’s why this kind of research/clickbait is so misleading.
Not so sure about that. I started smoking less weed after I got less depressed instead.
They controlled for the state of the world by not only looking at cannabis users.
But generally when you stop a substance that has negative psychological side effects, the side effects go away eventually.
But this is definitely not confirmation that cannabis causes depression or anxiety, it’s just a correlation. Could be that people with depression and anxiety are self medicating.
But generally when you stop a substance that has negative psychological side effects,
That hasn’t been shown by this study.
As far as this study goes, it could be showing that people use weed as a treatment for the psychological strain of a completely fucked society.
Regular sheep probably don’t realize anything is wrong and/or they’re drunk.
That’s why I used the qualifier “generally”, and why I said this isn’t proof of causation and could be the result of self medication.
Yah, I continued using it because it helped quiet the noise in my head.
Post hoc ergo propter hoc and all such as that.
I think I had anxiety when I was young, for sure as a teen. I was actually diagnosed by a psychiatrist with depression when I was 16, but I didn’t put much weight on that. I saw him two times and didn’t continue to take the imapramine he’d prescribed.
So, I was already there by the time I started smoking pot.
Adolescence is an increadibly anxious time. Not a child, but not an adult. Powerless, but rapidly developing a sophisticated understanding of the world around you. Then add romantic dynamics. It’s amazing our kids survive as well as they do.
Drugs will fix anything tho, right? I mean medication, not the illegal kind. We need to lock up illegal drug users. \s
I’ve found that link myself, I’m anxious and depressed when I’m out of cannabis.
the link for me if my life is nonstop depression, anxiety meh… weed is like booze… makes me stop thinking bad for a bit and lets me just relax
in fact, I haven’t even eaten in 3 days now. not hungry, don’t even think of food. weed doesn’t even make me wanna snack anymore, just play guitar and zone out.
Imma order a pizza and stuff my face tonight. my body needs food
I don’t drink (anymore at least) so it’s all I got, the only real negative effect I’ve observed from it is you kinda stop dreaming after a while, or at least remember having dreams. Agreed though honestly it’s like aspirin to me haha. It just makes everything easier and better to me so why not. Getting high and zoning out playing music is the bees knees.
Read that as cannibals
