Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP9104
Authors: Jan C. van Ours; Jenny Williams; David Fergusson; L. John Horwood
Abstract: Globally, suicide has emerged as the second leading cause of death among youth aged 10-24 years old. In order to better understand the causes of this phenomenon, we investigate the relationship between suicidal ideation and cannabis use. Our empirical analysis is based on a 30 year longitudinal study of a birth cohort. We find that intensive cannabis use - at least several times per week - leads to a higher transition rate into suicidal ideation for males. We find no evidence that suicidal ideation leads to cannabis use for either males or females.
Keywords: cannabis use; mental health; suicidal ideation
JEL Codes: C31; I10; I18
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| intensive cannabis use (I12) | increased rate of transitioning into suicidal ideation (I12) |
| increased rate of transitioning into suicidal ideation (I12) | suicidal ideation (I12) |
| suicidal ideation (I12) | cannabis use (I12) |
| earlier cannabis use (I12) | quicker onset of suicidal thoughts (D91) |