A Comparison of Psychosocial and Cognitive Functioning Between Depressed and Non-Depressed Patients with Cannabis Dependence

ABSTRACT

Cannabis use and depressive disorders are thought to impair cognitive performance and psychosocial functioning. Both disorders co-occurring may compound the negative effects of these diagnoses. In this study, the authors used the California Computerized Assessment Package as the cognitive performance measure and the Addiction Severity Index as the psychosocial functioning measure to compare individuals who were cannabis dependent and either depressed or not depressed (N= 108: 54 cannabis dependent only, 54 cannabis dependent and depressed or dysthymic). As predicted, cannabis dependent individuals with comorbid depression showed more psychosocial impairment than individuals with cannabis dependence alone. However, contrary to the authors’ hypothesis, individuals who were cannabis dependent with comorbid depression showed less cognitive impairment in some California Computerized Assessment Package modules than individuals with cannabis dependence alone. Based on the authors’ results, they concluded that the additive effects of cannabis dependency and depression may only be limited to psychosocial domains and may not extend to cognitive functioning.

KEYWORDS:

• Cannabis
• depression
• psychosocial
• cognitive
• cannabis dependence
• dysthymia
• marijuana
• ASI
• CalCAP

This research was supported by NIDA grants P50DA09236, R01DA15451, K23021209, and K00465. The authors would like to recognize the extraordinary help and support from all the staff at the Substance Treatment and Research Service (STARS) for their clinical research and administrative support.