Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
Lauren R. Gorfinkel, MPH; Malki Stohl, MS; Deborah Hasin, PhD
Abstract
IMPORTANCE
Despite studies showing that repeated cannabis use may worsen depressive symptoms, the popular media increasingly presents cannabis as beneficial to mental health, and many members of the public view cannabis as beneficial for depression. Therefore, cannabis use among individuals with depression may be becoming more prevalent.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the association of depression with past-month cannabis use among US adults and the time trends for this association from 2005 to 2016.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
This repeated cross-sectional study used data from 16 216 adults aged 20 to 59 years who were surveyed by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a national, annual, cross-sectional survey in the United States, between 2005 and 2016. Data analysis was conducted from January to February 2020.
EXPOSURES
Survey year and depression, as indicated by a score of at least 10 on the Patient Health Questionnaire–9.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Any past-month cannabis use (ie, >1 use in the past 30 days) and daily or near-daily past-month cannabis use (ie, >20 uses in the past 30 days). Logistic regression was used to examine time trends in the prevalence of cannabis use, depression, and the association between cannabis use and depression from 2005 to 2016.
RESULTS
The final analysis included 16 216 adults, of whom 7768 (weighted percentage, 48.9%) were men, 6809 (weighted percentage, 66.4%) were non-Hispanic White participants, and 9494 (weighted percentage, 65.6%) had at least some college education. They had a weighted mean age of 39.12 (95%CI, 38.23-39.40) years. Individuals with depression had 1.90 (95%CI, 1.62-2.24) times the odds of any past-month cannabis use and 2.29 (95%CI, 1.80-2.92) times the odds of daily or near-daily cannabis use compared with those without depression. The association between cannabis use and depression increased significantly from 2005 to 2016.
The odds ratio for depression and any past-month cannabis use increased from 1.46 (95%CI, 1.07-1.99) in 2005 to 2006 to 2.30 (95%CI, 1.82-2.91) in 2015 to 2016. The odds ratio for depression and daily or near-daily past-month cannabis use increased from 1.37 (95%CI, 0.81-2.32) in 2005 to 2006 to 3.16 (95%CI, 2.23-4.48) in 2015 to 2016.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
The findings of this study indicate that individuals with depression are at increasing risk of cannabis use, with a particularly strong increase in daily or neardaily cannabis use. Clinicians should be aware of these trends and the evidence that cannabis does not treat depression effectively when discussing cannabis use with patients.
Robert Pollack, MD
Founder and COO
Psychiatric Associates of Southwest Florida (PASWFL) is a privately owned psychiatric medical practice located in Fort Myers, Florida. The practice was founded on the principle of providing the highest caliber of care for patients in an atmosphere of compassion, professionalism, and humanity. While we embrace the most up-to-date science, we never lose sight that we have been entrusted by our patients with their lives and their futures.
PASWFL’s current practice is representative of contemporary medicine. In appreciation of the working public, PASWFL accepts most commercial insurances including Medicare and Tricare. Patients receive the necessary care provided by multiple types of professionals. All records and accounting are done electronically, and there are no longer any paper files. As a result, all information is readily available and legible.
PASWFL.COM
6804 Porto Fino Cir #1, Fort Myers, FL 33912
Office: 239-332-4700
Source:
JAMA Network Open. 2020;3(8):e2013802. doi:10.1001/
jamanetworkopen.2020.13802
