Cannabis use commonly co-occurs with ADHD and other internalizing/externalizing disorders in adolescents, requiring comprehensive diagnostic evaluation for treatment planning.
Child and adolescent psychiatrists, pediatricians, school counselors, and parents of adolescents with ADHD.
Common comorbidityCannabis use frequently co-occurs with ADHD, anxiety, depression, and conduct disorders in adolescents
What the researchers found
Adolescent cannabis use frequently co-occurs with ADHD, anxiety, depression, and conduct disorders, and thorough diagnostic evaluation is needed to determine whether symptoms reflect cannabis effects, underlying disorders, or both.
Why it matters
Comorbid cannabis use and psychiatric disorders in adolescents complicate diagnosis and treatment. Understanding these overlaps is essential for clinicians to provide appropriate care.
The numbers in context
Cannabis use often co-occurs with ADHD and other internalizing (anxiety, depression) and externalizing (conduct, oppositional) disorders in adolescents.
How the study worked
Clinical review examining comorbidity between adolescent cannabis use, ADHD, and other psychiatric disorders.
Who was studied
Adolescents with co-occurring cannabis use and ADHD and/or other psychiatric disorders.
What this study cannot tell us
Review format; individual clinical presentations vary significantly; distinguishing cannabis effects from underlying disorders is inherently challenging.
How to read the evidence
Clinical review providing diagnostic guidance; synthesizes evidence for clinical practice.
When this study was published
Recent clinical review addressing a common diagnostic challenge.
The bigger picture
This review highlights the diagnostic complexity in adolescent psychiatry where cannabis use, ADHD, and mood/behavioral disorders overlap, advocating for integrated assessment approaches.
Replication
Consistent with established literature on ADHD-substance use comorbidity.
Funding
Not specified
Conflicts of interest
Not specified
Questions still open
- Does ADHD treatment reduce cannabis use?
- How long should adolescents be abstinent before psychiatric reassessment?
- Are certain ADHD subtypes more associated with cannabis use?
Read the original research
Adolescent Cannabis Use, Comorbid Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, and Other Internalizing and Externalizing Disorders.
The Psychiatric clinics of North America, 46(4), 691-702
Citation
Molinero, Karla; Hinckley, Jesse D. (2023). Adolescent Cannabis Use, Comorbid Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, and Other Internalizing and Externalizing Disorders.. The Psychiatric clinics of North America, 46(4), 691-702. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psc.2023.03.007