What topics does this cannabis study cover?

This study covers research on: Addiction, Mental Health.

Where was this research published?

Published in Journal of psychiatric research on August 27, 2026.

Cannabis severity and bipolar disorder shape suicide risk and wellbeing

Q: What did this research study find?

Among people with severe *cannabis use disorder*, lifetime suicide attempts were **33.71%** in those with *bipolar I disorder* versus **16.65%** in those without it.

Examination of the intersection of bipolar I disorder status and cannabis use disorder severity in relation to health-related quality-of-life and lifetime suicide attempts.

Journal of psychiatric research • August 27, 2026 • Highly Relevant

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AI Summary

This study used data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III to examine how cannabis use disorder (CUD) severity relates to lifetime suicide attempts and health-related quality of life among people with and without bipolar I disorder (BD). The analysis included 753 participants with lifetime BD and 35,556 without it, while accounting for sex, age, and race/ethnicity.

Lifetime suicide attempts were more common among people with both BD and severe CUD: 33.71% compared with 16.65% among those with severe CUD but no BD. Among people without BD, mental-health quality of life declined as CUD severity increased, from a mean of 51.49 with no CUD symptoms to 45.28 with severe CUD. However, mental-health quality of life did not significantly vary by CUD severity among people with BD, suggesting that bipolar I disorder may have a stronger influence on mental-health outcomes in this group. Physical-health quality of life did not differ significantly by BD status or CUD severity. These findings highlight the importance of screening for both cannabis-related problems and suicide risk, especially among people with BD.

💡 Key Findings

Among people with severe cannabis use disorder, lifetime suicide attempts were 33.71% in those with bipolar I disorder versus 16.65% in those without it.

Good

75%

Among participants without bipolar I disorder, mental-health quality of life declined significantly as CUD severity increased.

Good

75%

Mental-health quality of life among people with bipolar I disorder did not significantly vary across CUD severity, suggesting BD may be a more prominent influence on mental-health outcomes.

Good

70%

Physical-health quality of life did not differ significantly by bipolar I disorder status or cannabis use disorder severity.

Good

75%

📄 Original Abstract

Among people with bipolar I disorder (BD), cannabis use disorder (CUD) is highly comorbid and correlated with poorer clinical outcomes, including increased suicidal behaviors and decreased quality-of-life (QoL). However, research on different levels of CUD severity and their links to suicidal behaviors and QoL are underexplored. Using data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III (NESARC-III), this study examined the relationships between DSM-5 CUD severity and lifetime suicide attempts or health-related QoL in participants with and without lifetime bipolar I disorder (ns = 753 and 35,556, respectively). A logistic regression model, adjusted for sex, age, and race/ethnicity, indicated the rate of lifetime suicide attempts was 16.65% (95% CI [13.17, 20.83]) in people without BD and with severe CUD compared to 33.71% (95% CI [21.64, 48.36]) in people with BD and severe CUD. Additionally, an adjusted linear regression model showed that mental health QoL significantly declined in individuals without BD from those with no CUD symptoms (M = 51.49, 95% CI [51.33, 51.65]) to severe CUD (M = 45.28, 95% CI [44.35, 46.21]), whereas the mental health QoL for individuals with BD did not significantly vary across CUD severity. Physical health QoL was not significantly different across BD status nor CUD severity. Overall, these findings suggest that CUD severity is significantly associated with altered outcomes on lifetime suicide attempts and mental health QoL depending on lifetime BD status; however, BD may still play a more prominent role in mental health outcomes, regardless of CUD severity.