#78 Strong Clinical Relevance
High-quality evidence with meaningful patient or clinical significance.
Nearly half a million teens were tracked in this study, and the data shows cannabis use during adolescence meaningfully increases the chance of serious psychiatric diagnoses in early adulthood.
A large longitudinal cohort study published in JAMA Health Forum tracked 463,396 adolescents and found that cannabis use between ages 13 and 17 was associated with approximately double the risk of psychotic and bipolar disorders by age 26. Elevated risks for depression and anxiety were also observed. The study used electronic health records from Kaiser Permanente, UCSF, and USC, spanning 2016 to 2023, making it one of the largest and most methodologically rigorous investigations of adolescent cannabis use and psychiatric outcomes to date.
“Half a million teenagers tracked over a decade should end the debate about whether adolescent cannabis exposure carries psychiatric risk,it does, and we need to act accordingly.”
A landmark longitudinal study of 463k+ adolescents reveals concerning associations between teen cannabis use and serious psychiatric outcomes—psychotic and bipolar disorders doubled by age 26, with elevated depression and anxiety risks also noted. We dive into what this means for clinical practice and neurodevelopmental vulnerability during adolescence.
Dr Caplan published a full clinical review of the original JAMA Health Forum paper, including discussion of methodology, limitations, confounders, and what the findings actually mean for parents and clinicians: Adolescent Cannabis Use and Psychosis Risk – Study Review
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