Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015:2015:434127.
doi: 10.1155/2015/434127. Epub 2015 May 13.

The Use of Cannabis as a Predictor of Early Onset of Bipolar Disorder and Suicide Attempts

Rafaela Torres Portugal Leite  1 , Sarah de Oliveira Nogueira  2 , João Paulo Rodrigues do Nascimento  3 , Laisa Soares de Lima  2 , Taís Bastos da Nóbrega  2 , Mariana da Silva Virgínio  2 , Lucas Monte da Costa Moreno  4 , Bruno Henrique Barbosa Sampaio  2 , Fábio Gomes de Matos E Souza  5
Affiliations
Review

The Use of Cannabis as a Predictor of Early Onset of Bipolar Disorder and Suicide Attempts

Rafaela Torres Portugal Leite et al. Neural Plast. 2015.

Abstract

Introduction. Bipolar disorder (BD) implies risk of suicide. The age at onset (AAO) of BD carries prognostic significance. Substance abuse may precede the onset of BD and cannabis is the most common illicit drug used. The main goal of this study is to review the association of cannabis use as a risk factor for early onset of BD and for suicide attempts. Materials and Methods. PubMed database was searched for articles using key words "bipolar disorder," "suicide attempts," "cannabis," "marijuana," "early age at onset," and "early onset." Results. The following percentages in bipolar patients were found: suicide attempts 3.6-42%; suicide attempts and substance use 5-60%; suicide attempts and cannabis use 15-42%. An early AAO was associated with cannabis misuse. The mean age of the first manic episode in individuals with and without BD and cannabis use disorder (CUD) was 19.5 and 25.1 years, respectively. The first depressive episode was at 18.5 and 24.4 years, respectively. Individuals misusing cannabis showed increased risk of suicide. Discussion. Cannabis use is associated with increased risk of suicide attempts and with early AAO. However, the effect of cannabis at the AAO and suicide attempts is not clear.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Gao K., Tolliver B. K., Kemp D. E., et al. Differential interactions between comorbid anxiety disorders and substance use disorder in rapid cycling bipolar I or II disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2008;110(1-2):167–173. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2007.12.229. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cerullo M. A., Strakowski S. M. The prevalence and significance of substance use disorders in bipolar type I and II disorder. Substance Abuse: Treatment, Prevention, and Policy. 2007;2, article 29 doi: 10.1186/1747-597x-2-29. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Etain B., Lajnef M., Bellivier F., et al. Clinical expression of bipolar disorder type I as a function of age and polarity at onset: convergent findings in samples from France and the United States. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2012;73(4):e561–e566. doi: 10.4088/jcp.10m06504. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Dell'Osso B., Buoli M., Bortolussi S., Camuri G., Vecchi V., Altamura A. C. Patterns of Axis i comorbidity in relation to age in patients with Bipolar Disorder: a cross-sectional analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2011;130(1-2):318–322. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2010.10.008. - DOI - PubMed
    1. van Rossum I., Boomsma M., Tenback D., Reed C., van Os J. Does cannabis use affect treatment outcome in bipolar disorder? A longitudinal analysis. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. 2009;197(1):35–40. doi: 10.1097/nmd.0b013e31819292a6. - DOI - PubMed