The Authors’ Own Words: Trends of major depressive episode among people with cannabis use: Findings from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2006-2015

The Authors’ Own Words:

We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

Trends of major depressive episode among people with cannabis use: Findings from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2006-2015

Giuseppe Carrà, MD, MSc, PhD; Francesco Bartoli, MD, PhD; & Cristina Crocamo, PhD

Substance Abuse Vol. 40, Iss. 2, 2019

“A dose-response association, suggesting that heavy cannabis users are more likely to report depressive disorders, has been hypothesized. We aimed at testing the existence of a linear association between different levels of cannabis use and depressive disorders using data between 2006 and 2015 from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Cannabis users, regardless of intensity, were more likely to have suffered from MDE in the past year. We detected, just for adults, only a minor gradient in MDE rates by increasing cannabis levels, which is unlikely to support a proper dose-response relationship as found in previous studies. Other common predisposing factors, including genetic liability and early familial environment, are likely to play a key role for depression onset. Nonetheless, since cannabis users have consistently higher prevalence rates of depressive disorders compared with non-users, there is the need for integrated screening and treatment programs to tackle this comorbid condition.“