The British Journal of Psychiatry (2009) 195: 492-497. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.109.065227
© 2009 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Data supplement
Right arrow Submit an eLetter
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Related articles in BJP
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Price, C.
Right arrow Articles by Allebeck, P.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Price, C.
Right arrow Articles by Allebeck, P.

Cannabis and suicide: longitudinal study

Ceri Price

Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK

Tomas Hemmingsson, PhD

Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden

Glyn Lewis, PhD

University of Bristol

Stanley Zammit, PhD

Cardiff University, and University of Bristol, Bristol, UK

Peter Allebeck, PhD

Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden

Correspondence: Correspondence: Dr Stanley Zammit, Department of Psychological Medicine, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK. Email: zammits{at}cardiff.ac.uk

Declaration of interest

None.

Background

Some studies suggest that cannabis use is associated with suicidal ideation, but no detailed longitudinal study has examined suicide as an outcome.

Aims

To examine the association between cannabis use and completed suicide.

Method

A longitudinal study investigated 50 087 men conscripted for Swedish military service, with cannabis use measured non-anonymously at conscription. Suicides during 33 years of follow-up were identified by linkage with the National Cause of Death Register.

Results

There were 600 (1.2% of cohort) suicides or deaths from undetermined causes. Cannabis use was associated with an increased risk of suicide (crude OR for ‘ever use’ 1.62, 95% CI 1.28–2.07), but this association was eliminated after adjustment for confounding (adjusted OR = 0.88, 95% CI 0.65–1.20).

Conclusions

Although there was a strong association between cannabis use and suicide, this was explained by markers of psychological and behavioural problems. These results suggest that cannabis use is unlikely to have a strong effect on risk of completed suicide, either directly or as a consequence of mental health problems secondary to its use.


Related articles in BJP:

Highlights of this issue
Kimberlie Dean
BJP 2009 195: A20. [Full Text]