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Chapter 13 - Cannabis and Bipolar Disorder

from Part IV - Cannabis, Anxiety, and Mood

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 May 2023

By
Jairo Vinícius Pinto  and
Mauren Letícia Ziak
Edited by
Deepak Cyril D'Souza ,
David Castle  and
Sir Robin Murray
Deepak Cyril D'Souza
Affiliation:
Staff Psychiatrist, VA Connecticut Healthcare System; Professor of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine
David Castle
Affiliation:
University of Tasmania, Australia
Sir Robin Murray
Affiliation:
Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist, Psychosis Service at the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust; Professor of Psychiatric Research at the Institute of Psychiatry
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Summary

Persons with bipolar disorder (BD) commonly use cannabis and have a high prevalence of co-occurring cannabis use disorder (CUD). In addition, persons with BD and co-occurring CUD tend to have earlier onset of symptoms and are more likely to have psychosis, suicide attempts, and other SUDs in comparison to those without CUD. Moreover, convergent evidence indicates that CUD is associated with longitudinal impacts on the course of BD, demonstrating an association with longer and more frequent mood episodes, lower recovery and remission rates, as well as poorer psychosocial functioning; however, abstinence from cannabis may improve clinical outcomes, partly by increasing treatment adherence. Although the impact of CUD on the course of BD is known, there are no published randomized controlled trials so far that have explicitly focused on this comorbidity; therefore, there is no specific evidence to guide the treatment of co-occurring BD and CUD.

Keywords

bipolar disordercannabiscannabis use disordersubstance use disorderendocannabinoid system
Type
Chapter
Information
Marijuana and Madness , pp. 128 - 138
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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References

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