Health
Schizophrenia in men often due to cannabis abuse
Previous studies had already shown that cannabis use disorders can be associated with serious mental illnesses. photo
© Hannes P. Albert/dpa
In young men, up to 30 percent of all schizophrenia cases can be traced back to problematic cannabis use. This is what researchers write in the journal “Psychological Medicine”. They had looked at how so-called cannabis use disorders (CUD) and schizophrenia are related in a huge data set from Denmark. CUD criteria include heavy use, strong craving for the drug, or giving up or limiting important social, work, or leisure activities.
In young men, up to 30 percent of all schizophrenia cases can be traced back to problematic cannabis use. This is what researchers write in the journal “Psychological Medicine”. They had looked at how so-called cannabis use disorders (CUD) and schizophrenia are related in a huge data set from Denmark. CUD criteria include heavy use, strong craving for the drug, or giving up or limiting important social, work, or leisure activities.
Previous studies had already shown that cannabis use disorders can be associated with serious mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia – this applies to men as well as women. Now researchers around Carsten Hjorthøj from the University Hospital Copenhagen have examined who is at highest risk. The analysis shows that 15 percent of all male schizophrenia in Denmark in 2021 could have been avoided without cannabis use disorders (CUS). For women it was four percent. The proportion was particularly high at up to 30 percent among younger men aged 21 to 30. The researchers conclude that CUS is an important risk factor for schizophrenia.