© 2002 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Mental health of teenagers who use cannabis
Results of an Australian survey
University of Sydney, Coral Tree Family Service, North Ryde, New South Wales
Department of Paediatrics, Adelaide University and Research & Evaluation Unit, Women's and Children's Hospital, North Adelaide
Centre for Mental Health, NSW Health
Centre for Adolescent Health, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne
National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
Correspondence: Joseph M. Rey, Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Sydney, Coral Tree Family Service, PO Box 142, North Ryde, NSW 1670, Australia. E-mail: jrey{at}mail.usyd.edu.au
Declaration of interest The Commonwealth of Australia funded the survey.
Background There is concern in the community about increasing cannabis use and its potential effect on health.
Aims To ascertain the prevalence of cannabis use among Australian adolescents, associations with mental health problems, risk behaviours and service use.
Method Examination of data from a national representative sample of households comprising 1261 adolescents aged 13-17 years. Parents completed a psychiatric interview and questionnaires while adolescents completed questionnaires.
Results One-quarter of the adolescents in the sample had used cannabis. There were no gender differences. Use increased rapidly with age, was more common in adolescents living with a sole parent and was associated with increased depression, conduct problems and health risk behaviours (smoking, drinking) but not with higher use of services.
Conclusions Cannabis use is very prevalent. The association with depression, conduct problems, excessive drinking and use of other drugs shows a malignant pattern of comorbidity that may lead to negative outcomes.
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