Major depression: the relative contribution of gender, MDMA, and cannabis use
Heather Durdle, Leslie H. Lundahl, Chris‐ellyn Johanson, Manuel E. Tancer
Depression and Anxiety March 7, 2007 DOI: 10.1002/da.20297 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 226 |
| Population | MDMA users (65% male) with an average of 35.8 lifetime uses |
| Topics | Cannabis Depression MDMA |
| Keywords | Depression economics Logistic regression Substance abuse Poison control Clinical psychology Cognition Medical emergency |
| Citations | 34 |
| Key findings | Lifetime cannabis use disorder, but not MDMA use, was significantly associated with lifetime Major Depressive Disorder, particularly among female MDMA users. |
Abstract
Previous research has suggested that 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; ecstasy) users have elevated depressive symptomatology, although it is not clear whether this is due to MDMA or other drug use. This study aimed to investigate the contributions of MDMA and cannabis use to Major Depressive Disorder in MDMA users. A total of 226 MDMA users were studied. Participants (65% male) reported an average number of 35.8 uses of MDMA (SD = 45.6, range = 2-400). Participants were administered a Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. Twenty-six individuals (11.5%) met lifetime criteria for Major Depressive Disorder. High rates of lifetime Cannabis Abuse (30.1%) and Cannabis Dependence (12.4%) were reported. No association was found between number of uses of MDMA and Major Depressive Disorder. Those with lifetime major depression were found, however, to have higher rates of lifetime cannabis use disorder (adjusted OR = 2.40). A logistic regression indicated that lifetime cannabis use disorder, but not MDMA use, was significantly associated with lifetime Major Depressive Disorder. Stratified analyses suggested that for males, neither drug use variable was associated with major depression. For females, a lifetime cannabis use disorder (adjusted OR = 4.99), but not MDMA use, was associated with lifetime Major Depressive Disorder. Results of this study suggest that although MDMA use was not found to be significantly associated with major depression for either gender, a lifetime cannabis use disorder was significantly associated with lifetime major depression for female, but not male, users of MDMA.
In the evidence
This study is part of the evidence base for a synthesis in the library. Here is how each one recorded it.
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No association was found between number of MDMA uses and lifetime Major Depressive Disorder; lifetime cannabis use disorder, but not MDMA use, was significantly associated with lifetime major depression.
Synthesized
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on MDMA for depression, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attitudes toward psychedelics and psychedelic-assisted therapy among potential mental health service users and the general population in Australia. Australians, including individuals with and without self-identified mental illness | 2024 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 502 |
| Anxiety and depression symptoms in Brazilian sexual minority ecstasy and LSD users Young Brazilian adults who used ecstasy and/or LSD in the past 90 days and were not in... | 2017 | Cross-sectional study | n = 240 |