What topics does this cannabis study cover?

This study covers research on: Mental Health, Addiction.

Where was this research published?

Published in Body image on October 17, 2026.

Daily reports link coping-motivated use with suicidal desire in BDD

Q: What did this research study find?

In this **28-day observational study** of adults with moderate to severe BDD, more than half met criteria for a current substance use disorder at baseline.

Real-world substance use in body dysmorphic disorder: An ecological momentary assessment study of motives, contexts, and suicidal ideation.

Body image • October 17, 2026 • Relevant

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AI Summary

This observational study asked how adults with moderate to severe body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) use alcohol and cannabis in daily life, what motivates use, and how use relates to suicidal ideation. Eighty-seven adults completed baseline assessments and ecological momentary assessment surveys over 28 days; the study tracked real-world use rather than assigning a substance or treatment. At baseline, 51.7% met criteria for a current substance use disorder, and among those with both diagnoses, BDD began before substance use in 77.8% of cases. Substance-use severity was not associated with BDD severity or impairment.

Of participants who reported recent alcohol or cannabis use, use was reported on an average of 21.1% of surveys. Relaxation, socializing, and emotional coping were common motives; appearance-related coping was less common. Recent use itself was not associated with concurrent suicidal ideation, but surveys reporting coping as the motive had 3.30–4.13 times the odds of suicidal desire compared with surveys reporting other motives. This is an association, not evidence that substance use caused suicidal desire. As an abstract-based summary, the findings cannot establish causation or show that they apply beyond this selected group of adults with moderate to severe BDD and recent substance use or suicidal ideation.

💡 Key Findings

In this 28-day observational study of adults with moderate to severe BDD, more than half met criteria for a current substance use disorder at baseline.

High

90%

Among participants reporting recent alcohol or cannabis use, use appeared on an average of 21.1% of surveys; relaxation, socializing, and emotional coping were common motives.

High

90%

Recent substance use itself was not associated with concurrent suicidal ideation, while coping-motivated reports had 3.30–4.13 times the odds of suicidal desire compared with reports citing other motives.

High

90%

The study found an association between coping motives and suicidal desire, but its observational design cannot establish that substance use caused suicidal desire.

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95%

📄 Original Abstract

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) frequently co-occurs with substance use, yet little is known about real-world patterns, motives, and contexts of use. This study characterized baseline substance use and examined day-to-day alcohol and cannabis use across 28 days of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) in adults with moderate to severe BDD with recent substance use or suicidal ideation. Eighty-seven participants (73.6% women; mean age 29.4 years, SD = 9.0, range 18-55) completed diagnostic interviews, self-report measures, and EMA surveys. At baseline, more than half (51.7%) met criteria for a current substance use disorder; among those with both diagnoses, BDD onset preceded substance use onset in 77.8% of cases. Use severity was not associated with BDD severity or impairment. Across the EMA period, 59 participants (67.8%) reported recent alcohol or cannabis use at least once. Among these participants, use was reported on a mean of 21.1% (SD = 23.1%) of surveys. Relaxation, social, and emotional coping were the most frequently endorsed primary motives. Appearance-related coping was less common, accounting for 9.8% of alcohol surveys and 14.6% of cannabis surveys on average. Use occurred primarily in leisure and social contexts; work or school was the current activity on 5.8% of surveys reporting use versus 24.2% of surveys without reported use. Recent use was not associated with concurrent suicidal ideation, but coping-motivated surveys carried three- to four-fold greater odds of suicidal desire (ORs = 3.30-4.13) than surveys reporting other motives. These real-time findings suggest coping-motivated use may be indicative of concurrent suicide risk.

Paper Type

📄 Research

Publication

Journal: Body image
Published: October 17, 2026
PMID: 42892277
DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2026.102197

Authors (8)

Geneva K Jonathan Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 185 Cambridge St., Suite 2000, Boston, MA, 02114, USA. Electronic address: gjonathan@mgh.harvard.edu.
Sara Velazquez Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 185 Cambridge St., Suite 2000, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
A Eden Evins Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 185 Cambridge St., Suite 2000, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
Bettina B Hoeppner Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 185 Cambridge St., Suite 2000, Boston, MA, 02114, USA.
Michael Armey Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Butler Hospital, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, 345 Blackstone Boulevard, Providence, RI, 02906, USA.
+3 more authors