ELUCIDATING THE NATURE OF THE LINKS BETWEEN CANNABIS USE AND  ATTENTION-DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER

Amanda M Stueber

doi:10.7273/000005430

Many people with mental health disorders use cannabis to self-medicate for their symptoms. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental disorder associated with increased cannabis use but far less attention has been paid to examining cannabis use by people with ADHD relative to other mental disorders (e.g., anxiety, psychosis, post-traumatic stress disorder). Nevertheless, there is some limited evidence to suggest that people with ADHD might use cannabis to self-medicate for their symptoms and that they perceive it as beneficial for this purpose. The goal of this study was to better understand the nature of the relationships between cannabis use and ADHD symptoms and to explore evidence that people with ADHD are self-medicating with cannabis. A total of 1,382 undergraduate students self-reported their ADHD symptoms, cannabis use patterns, and everyday life executive dysfunction. Participants who reported they have used cannabis to manage their ADHD were further asked to report their perceptions of the effects of cannabis on their ADHD symptoms, ADHD medication effectiveness, and ADHD medication side effects. Evidence from this study revealed that ADHD symptom severity is associated with consuming cannabis more frequently and with more severe symptoms of cannabis use disorder (CUD). Participants with ADHD reported that cannabis has acute detrimental effects on memory but beneficial effects on many of their other core symptoms of ADHD, including hyperactivity, impulsivity, restlessness, and mental frustration. While most participants on ADHD medications reported that cannabis does not influence their medication effectiveness, they did report that cannabis helps with many of the side effects associated with their ADHD medications including headaches, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, moodiness/irritability, and anxiety. Finally, frequency of cannabis use was a significant moderator of the associations between adult ADHD symptom severity and executive dysfunction, suggesting that more frequent use may help protect against ADHD-related executive dysfunction. The knowledge gained from this study will help people with ADHD and their healthcare providers by providing them with a better understanding of the use of cannabis by individuals with ADHD including the possible risks and benefits of such use on cannabis use disorder, ADHD symptoms, medication side effects, and executive dysfunction.

ELUCIDATING THE NATURE OF THE LINKS BETWEEN CANNABIS USE AND ATTENTION-DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER

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