Cannabis Use in People With Obsessive-Compulsive Symptomatology: Results From a Mexican Epidemiological Sample

Abstract

Recent studies suggest that the endocannabinoid system could play an important role in the physiopathology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). There are reports of effective treatment with derivatives of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The study of the genetic factor associated with psychiatric disorders has made possible an exploration of its contribution to the pharmacological response. However, very little is known about the genetic factor or the prevalence of cannabis use in the Mexican population with OCD. The objective of this study is to compare the prevalence of use and dependence on cannabis in individuals with obsessive-compulsive symptomatology (OCS) with that of individuals with other psychiatric symptoms (psychosis, depression, and anxiety), and to explore the association between genetic risk and use. The study includes a total of 13,130 individuals evaluated in the second stage of the 2016 National Survey of Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Use (Encodat 2016), with genetic analysis (polygenic risk scoring) of a subsample of 3,521 individuals. Obsessive symptomatology had a prevalence of 7.2% and compulsive symptomatology a prevalence of 8.6%. The proportion of individuals with OCS who had ever used cannabis was 23.4%, and of those with cannabis dependency was 2.7%, the latter figure higher than that in individuals with other psychiatric symptoms (hypomania, 2.6%; anxiety, 2.8%; depression, 2.3%), except psychosis (5.9%). Individuals with OCS who reported using cannabis had an increased genetic risk for cannabis dependence but not for OCD. We thus cannot know how the increased genetic risk of cannabis dependence in people with OCD is influenced by their pharmacological response to derivatives of THC. The results, however, suggest paths for future studies.

The Prevalence of Symptomatology and Risk Factors in Mental Health in Mexico: The 2016–17 ENCODAT Cohort

“…Women report a greater frequency of suicide attempt, a greater prevalence of mental illness symptomatology, and more depression and anxiety than men [ 2 , 5 , 10 ]. This is the first time the epidemiological frequency of obsessive–compulsive disorder has been analyzed on the national level, and this frequency coincides, as expected, with that described in other populations [ 17 ].…”

“…Before proceeding to the discussion of the findings, the limitations of this study should be recognized. The results come from screening scales and not from diagnostic instruments; however, the scale been used has shown its consistency in estimating the frequency of mental illness symptoms in the general population and its utility in identifying those symptoms during the lifetime of those who respond [ 8 , 9 , 17 ]. The Diagnostic Interview for Psychosis and Affective Disorders (DI-PAD) aids mental health symptomatology, and it has been shown to have a good correlation coefficient with psychiatric diagnoses in large samples of psychiatric genetics (9).…”

Mental Disorder Comorbidity in a Public Physical and Mental Health Community-Based Care Network Specialized in Alcohol and Drugs

“…Furthermore, this association was independent of the coexistence of other mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, and stress (42). According to Aubina et al (2013) and our findings, this SUD has been related to higher obsessive--compulsive disorder severity and treatment non-compliance in patients with preexisting schizophrenia or other psychotic syndrome diagnoses (43).…”

Genetic influences on the interplay between obsessive‐compulsive behavior symptoms and cannabis use during adolescence

“…Cannabis use in adolescence is a significant public health issue given these increases which now surpass tobacco use in adolescence (Johnston et al, 2016). Taken together, past research demonstrates that OCS and substance use may develop over time, and some studies support a relationship between OCS and cannabis use (Spradlin et al, 2017; Nicolini et al, 2021). The current study aims to further explore the relationship between OCS and cannabis use across adolescence.…”

“…Some studies find a positive relationship between OCS and risky cannabis use ( Bakhshaie et al, 2020 ), whereas others find OCS not related to frequency or quantity of use, but instead cannabis misuse ( Spradlin et al, 2017 ). Conversely, some studies do not report a relationship between greater OCS due to cannabis use but do report individuals with OCS using greater amounts of cannabis and having higher levels of cannabis use compared to controls without OCS ( Nicolini et al, 2021 ). Additional studies suggest that cannabis use may improve OCS ( Kayser et al, 2019 ; Szejko et al, 2020 ).…”