Cannabis and anxiety: a critical review of the evidence

Author(s)

Crippa, Jose Alexandre ^{[1, 2, 3]} ; Zuardi, Antonio Waldo ^{[1, 3]} ; Martin-Santos, Rocio ^{[2, 4, 5]} ; Bhattacharyya, Sagnik ^[2] ; Atakan, Zerrin ^[2] ; McGuire, Philip ^[2] ; Fusar-Poli, Paolo ^{[2, 6]}

Affiliation

^[1] INCT Translat Med, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Kings Coll London, Inst Psychiat, Dept Psychol Med, Sect Neuroimaging, London SE5 8AF - England

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto Sch Med, Dept Neurosci & Behav, Div Psychiat, BR-05508 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[4] Hosp Mar, IMIM, Neuropsychopharmacol Grp, Barcelona - Spain

^[5] Hosp Clin Barcelona, Inst Neurosci, Dept Psychiat, IDIBAPS, CIBERSAM, Barcelona - Spain

^[6] Univ Pavia, Dept Hlth Sci, Sect Psychiat, I-27100 Pavia - Italy

• Document type: Review article
• Source: HUMAN PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY-CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL; v. 24, n. 7, p. 515-523, OCT 2009.
• Web of Science Citations: 203

Abstract

Background Anxiety reactions and panic attacks are the acute symptoms most frequently associated with cannabis use. Understanding the relationship between cannabis and anxiety may clarify the mechanism of action of cannabis and the pathophysiology of anxiety. Aims of the present study were to review the nature of the relationship between cannabis use and anxiety, as well as the possible clinical, diagnostic and causal implications. Method Systematic review of the Medline, PsycLIT and EMBASE literature. Results Frequent cannabis users consistently have a high prevalence of anxiety disorders and patients with anxiety disorders have relatively high rates of cannabis use. However, it is unclear if cannabis use increases the risk of developing long-lasting anxiety disorders. Many hypotheses have been proposed in an attempt to explain these relationships, including neurobiological, environmental and social influences. Conclusions The precise relationship between cannabis use and anxiety has yet to be established. Research is needed to fully clarify the mechanisms of such the association. Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley \& Sons, Ltd. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 02/13197-2 - Participation of glutamate and nitric oxide on the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatry disorders
• Grantee: Francisco Silveira Guimaraes
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants