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Concern about a potential link between cannabis use and increased mental health problems and suicidal ideation has prompted a coroner to urge parents and carers to make themselves aware of the risks involved. (File photo)
A coroner has warned of the increased risk of mental health problems and suicidal ideation linked with cannabis use by teenagers following the death of a 14-year-old boy.
Coroner Mary-Anne Borrowdale released her findings to Stuff with the hope of encouraging those who care for teenagers who use cannabis to make themselves aware of the risks and of ways to reduce that use.
The 14-year-old, whose name is suppressed, died in 2019. He had attempted suicide twice in the previous 18 months.
When he was about 4 the boy, who was raised by adoptive parents, was referred for paediatric and psychiatric assessment over behavioural concerns, and suspicions of foteal alcohol syndrome and ADHD. It found him to be a “normal, energetic young boy”.
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But in 2013 a further psychiatric assessment following disruptiveness at school found he was inattentive, hyperactive and impulsive.
Records suggested the boy was a “fairly straightforward kid” until about 2016, when he became increasingly moody and defiant. He was never formally diagnosed with a disability or mental health condition, but received regular counselling.
On the day of his death the teenager had a half-day at school, so decided to stay home for the day.
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Coroner Mary-Anne Borrowdale released her findings with the hope of encouraging carers of teenagers who use cannabis to make themselves aware of the risks and of ways to help reduce that use. (File photo)
That afternoon his girlfriend told him in a series of text messages that she did not feel in a position to continue their relationship. The boy twice texted he was going to kill himself.
She said she still cared about him and asked him not to do “anything stupid”.
About an hour later his adoptive mother asked if he would like to go into town with her. Upset, he told her did not want to, and she left him in his bedroom.
While she was out she was contacted by one of his friends who was worried he might be going to hurt himself. The coroner said it was unclear how this friend had heard from the boy.
She immediately returned home where she found the young boy dead.
Police who arrived noted a smell of cannabis in the shed, while in his bedroom were various cannabis-related items including three bongs and remnants of cannabis “tinnies”.
His adoptive mother told police she was aware he smoked cannabis, and she had told him she preferred he did so in their shed, rather than out on the street. There was no evidence as to the frequency of his cannabis use.
Peter Meecham/Stuff
Sir John Kirwan says mental health can be a dark place, so “you don’t need your spaces being as dark”.
Clinicians who treated the boy noted his birth mother had experienced difficulties with cannabis and alcohol.
Coroner Borrowdale said there was no evidence the boy’s mental health support providers were addressing his use of cannabis. A risk management form from 2016 recorded him saying he did not use alcohol or drugs.
She said the young boy was experiencing “several stressors in his life”, including difficulties with his schoolwork, and with his whānau and other relationships.
The coroner said it appeared from the boy’s medical records he received “appropriate and supportive” mental health care and counselling following his first suicide attempt, and over the following 18 months until his death.
“[He] was a young teenager who had a history of experiencing moderate depression, with feelings of intense isolation and sadness. [He] was known to smoke cannabis with some regularity, and he had smoked cannabis immediately prior to his death.”
Coroner Borrowdale cited research including a 2011 study in New Zealand that reported nearly 80% of young people had used cannabis before the age of 21.
While it was not possible to detail what causative effect or contribution the boy’s cannabis use made to his suicide, the coroner said there was evidence that cannabis use by teenagers was associated with “an increased risk of mental health problems and suicidal ideation”.
An American paper that looked at people aged 18 to 35 between 2008 and 2019 found cannabis use was associated with increased risks of suicide, suicide planning and suicide attempt.
A 2014 analysis of adolescent studies reported a “direct relation” between cannabis use and suicidal ideation.
“Adolescents who were daily cannabis users before age 17 years old had odds of suicide attempt that were seven times higher than for those young people who had never used cannabis,” the coroner said.
“Those who used cannabis weekly or more were four times more likely to attempt suicide. Those who used cannabis monthly or more were over twice as likely to attempt suicide.”
Coroner Borrowdale said the studies were a “vital contribution to suicide prevention efforts”.
“We cannot know what contribution [the young boy’s] cannabis use may have made to his mental health or his suicide. But on the basis of these studies, and many others like them, I am not prepared to assume that [his] cannabis use played no part at all in his tragic death.”
The coroner also endorsed the Ministry of Health’s advice to anyone worried about someone who may be suicidal:. The advice is copied below.
- Help is available to anyone who is struggling and thinking of harming themselves. Help is also available to anyone who is concerned or aware that a friend, family member or anyone else is thinking that way.
- Information about the ways you can support someone who is thinking of harming themselves is available here.
- If someone has attempted suicide, or you’re worried about their immediate safety, do the following: Take them seriously. Thank them for telling you, and invite them to keep talking. Ask questions without judging.
Where to get help
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1737, Need to talk? Free call or text 1737 to talk to a trained counsellor.
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Anxiety New Zealand 0800 ANXIETY (0800 269 4389)
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Depression.org.nz 0800 111 757 or text 4202
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Lifeline 0800 543 354
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Mental Health Foundation 09 623 4812, click here to access its free resource and information service.
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Rural Support Trust 0800 787 254
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Samaritans 0800 726 666
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Suicide Crisis Helpline 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
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Yellow Brick Road 0800 732 825
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thelowdown.co.nz Web chat, email chat or free text 5626
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What’s Up 0800 942 8787 (for 5 to 18-year-olds). Phone counselling available Monday-Friday, noon-11pm and weekends, 3pm-11pm. Online chat is available 3pm-10pm daily.
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Youthline 0800 376 633, free text 234, email [email protected], or find online chat and other support options here.
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If it is an emergency, click here to find the number for your local crisis assessment team.
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In a life-threatening situation, call 111.
