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News
Substance use disorders are linked to a significantly higher risk of developing generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) — with cannabis use disorder carrying the steepest risk. A large national study found that the more co-occurring substance use disorders a person had, the greater their GAD risk. The silver lining: achieving remission from substance use disorder was associated with a dramatically reduced risk of developing GAD.
A large national study has found that people with substance use disorders (SUDs) — including cannabis, alcohol, and nicotine — face a substantially higher risk of developing generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) compared to those without any SUD. Cannabis use disorder (CUD) carried the steepest risk, with GAD incidence peaking around the 5-year mark after SUD onset. The study drew on data from over 29,000 adults in the nationally representative NESARC-III survey.
The findings also revealed a dose-response relationship: the more co-occurring SUDs a person had, the higher their GAD risk. Encouragingly, achieving remission from SUD was associated with a dramatically reduced risk of developing GAD across all substance types.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: These findings highlight the need for integrated mental health screening in patients with substance use disorders. Clinicians treating SUDs should proactively monitor for anxiety symptoms, and remission-focused interventions may serve double duty in protecting patients from GAD onset.
