Cannabis use and depression: a longitudinal study of a national cohort of Swedish conscripts.
BACKGROUND
While there is increasing evidence on the association between cannabis use and psychotic outcomes, it is still unclear whether this also applies to depression. We aim to assess whether risk of depression and other affective outcomes is increased among cannabis users.


METHODS
A cohort study of 45 087 Swedish men with data on cannabis use at ages 18-20. Diagnoses of unipolar disorder, bipolar disorder, affective psychosis and schizoaffective disorder were identified from inpatient care records over a 35-year follow-up period. Cox proportional hazard modeling was used to assess the hazard ratio (HR) of developing these disorders in relation to cannabis exposure.


RESULTS
Only subjects with the highest level of cannabis use had an increased crude hazard ratio for depression (HR 1.5, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.0-2.2), but the association disappeared after adjustment for confounders. There was a strong graded association between cannabis use and schizoaffective disorder, even after control for confounders, although the numbers were small (HR 7.4, 95% CI, 1.0-54.3).


CONCLUSIONS
We did not find evidence for an increased risk of depression among those who used cannabis. Our finding of an increased risk of schizoaffective disorder is consistent with previous findings on the relation between cannabis use and psychosis.
Department of Public Health Sciences, Division of Social Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Norrbacka floor 6, Stockholm, S-17176, Sweden. edison.manrique-garcia@ki.se
Edison
E
Manrique-Garcia
Stanley
S
Zammit
Christina
C
Dalman
Tomas
T
Hemmingsson
Peter
P
Allebeck
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008385:Marijuana Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012306:Risk; D013548:Sweden