More than one in ten major cannabis users withdraws after quitting – ScienceDaily



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While the number of Americans who regularly use cannabis has increased, the number of those who have symptoms of cannabis withdrawal has also increased. New study by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia University's Irving Medical Center reveals that 12% of frequent marijuana smokers have cannabis withdrawal syndrome, which includes emotional symptoms, behavioral and physical. The study is published in the journal Drug addiction and alcohol dependence.

The CFS was first published in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in its most recent edition, DSM-5, published in 2013. This new study is the first large-scale report on the link between psychiatric disorders of SCF and DSM-5 among frequent disorders. US adult cannabis users.

"In a rapidly changing landscape of laws and attitudes about marijuana, cannabis use continues to increase among American adults, so it is essential to have more information about the use of marijuana. prevalence and correlates of clinical withdrawal in the general population, "said Deborah Hasin, PhD. , professor of epidemiology at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.

Study participants were interviewed as part of the 2012-2013 National Infectious Disease and Related Illness Survey-III (NESARC-III), the only nationally representative survey that measures clinically diagnosed cannabis withdrawal syndrome, which includes six psychological symptoms and one or more physical disorders. symptoms. Individual interviews in the respondents' homes were conducted with 36,309 participants. The final analysis was based on 1,527 participants who frequently used cannabis, that is, they ate at least three times a week in the year preceding the interview.

The symptoms of CFS were associated with many psychiatric disorders, significant mental disability, and a family history of depression. Psychiatric disorders included mood disorders; anxiety disorders, including social phobia, agoraphobia and panic disorder; personality disorders; and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Among the withdrawal symptoms, the most frequently reported were nervousness / anxiety (76%), hostility (72%), sleep disorders (68%) and depressed mood (59%). Although physical symptoms were reported less frequently than behavioral and emotional symptoms, headaches, tremors, tremors, and sweating were also common.

Frequent cannabis users were mainly men (66%), whites (59%), 18-29 year olds (50%), students (49%), single people (54%), and low-income households (45%). Although the frequency of use (less than one week) was not significantly associated with withdrawal symptoms, the number of joints smoked per day was significantly associated with withdrawal symptoms.

Cannabis withdrawal syndrome was not significantly associated with family history of drug or alcohol problems, but was significantly associated with family history of depression.

"Cannabis withdrawal syndrome is a very debilitating disease," said Hasin, also a professor in the Department of Psychiatry. "The common symptoms of depressive and anxiety disorder syndrome require clinicians to become familiar with the withdrawal symptoms of cannabis and the factors associated with it to promote more effective treatment for heavy users of cannabis."

In an earlier study by Hasin and colleagues (LINK TK), cannabis withdrawal symptoms were prevalent and associated with psychiatric disorders and the intensity of cannabis use. However, at that time, NESARC did not cover the withdrawal symptoms of DSM-5 cannabis. As a new diagnosis, much remains to be learned about the CWS DSM-5, according to Hasin and his colleagues.

"Most users of the new modes of administration – vaping and food – also smoke cannabis, so for users using modes other than smoking, the amount consumed may be underestimated," he said. Hasin. "Given the increase in potency of cannabis in recent decades, the development of reliable measures to study the effect of cannabis concentration and mode of administration will be important for advance our understanding of cannabis withdrawal syndrome. "

The co-authors are Ofir Livne (lead author), Lev Hasharon Medical Center, Israel; Dvora Shmulewitz, Medical Center of Columbia University; and Shaul Lev-Ran, Lev Hasharon Medical Center and Tel Aviv University.

The study on cannabis withdrawal was funded by the National Institute for Combating Drug Abuse. The NESARC-III survey was funded by the National Institute for Combating Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the National Institute for Combating Drug Abuse and the Research Program intramural NIAAA.

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