Chunk #30 — Conceptualizing Problematic Cannabis Use in Mental Illness: Addiction Vulnerability versus Self-Medication Hypothesis — The Perception of Self-Medication
The self-medication hypothesis is based on the notion that individuals use substances due to dysfunctional self-regulatory abilities and affect states [84, 85]. Individuals medicate the distress and pain associated with difficulties surrounding general self-care, emotion regulation, self-esteem and interpersonal difficulties, all of which are classified under ‘self-regulation’ [84]. When an individual becomes distressed, substances are more likely to be used to attenuate these feelings due to lack of coping skills, which are necessary in addressing emotional dysregulation [85]. Interestingly, a review that analyzes neuroimaging studies in addicted individuals describes decreases in grey matter within regions associated with self-regulation and introspection [49]. Moreover, individuals who use cannabis are likely to report dysfunctional coping as a primary motivation for substance use [11]. For example, individuals with SAD have been shown as more likely to crave cannabis in social interactions as their (dysfunctional) coping mechanism [15].
