Loading...
Higher rates of marijuana use in individuals with mood and anxiety disorders have been attributed to the self-medication of symptoms. Although the intoxicating effects of marijuana may well produce immediate symptom improvement, effects on long-term symptom course are less clear. These researchers systematically reviewed 12 longitudinal studies in 11,959 patients with post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, bipolar disorder, or major depression to determine the effect of cannabis use in ≤6 months before study entry on later outcomes (follow-up, 2.5–60 months).
Most patients were undergoing psychiatric treatment. Across studies, cannabis use ranged from once in the previous month to cannabis use disorder. For each diagnosis, most stud…