Denissoff’s study analyzed data from the Northern Finland birth cohort from 1986. In 2001-2002, 15-16-year-old cohort members answered questions about the use of cannabis and other substances. The study followed the participants until they were 33 years old, and their responses were compared with diagnostic data collected from national registries.
This is the first population-based study to examine the association between early cannabis use and hospitalization for deliberate self-harm or bipolar disorder. The study also investigated the impact of early cannabis use on mental health outcomes in young people experiencing mild psychosis-like symptoms. Previous studies have not used population-based cohort data to examine this association.
Although Denissoff found an association between cannabis use and non-psychotic mental disorders, he noted that the relationship between cannabis use and bipolar disorder disappeared when the use of other substances was taken into account.
The strength of the study is the use of diagnostic register data as outcome variables and the careful consideration of confounding factors, especially the use of other substances.
Environmental risk factors, such as the use of cannabis, are particularly harmful to the developing central nervous system of young people. In addition, most mental health disorders appear by the age of 30, so the observation period in this study is necessary to determine the mental health effects of the effects of cannabis use.
Although the evidence for an association between cannabis use and non-psychotic mental health disorders remains weak, the results suggest that early cannabis use is an adverse predictor of mental health outcomes. Although the study results support the idea that cannabis use contributes to negative mental health outcomes, further research is needed to understand the complex relationships between cannabis use and various mental health disorders.
HT
Source: The Nordic Page