Cannabis and video games can trigger psychotic episodes, reveals research

Smoking marijuana and playing video games may seem a fresh evening for some – but the two hobbies have been linked to psychosis in a variety of studies.

Alexis McAdams of Fox News reported on this link during a “America Report” segment on Thursday, citing NIH data which found that young men who consume marijuana run the highest risk of developing psychotic diseases like schizophrenia.

McAdams applied this information to recent violence across America, including the mass shooting at the Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis. The shooter, Robin Westman, would have worked in a pot store and said to his friends “he smoked him all the time”.

A high consumption of cannabis could represent this threat to the brain

Managers also confirmed that Johsua Jahn, Dallas Ice shooter, was a heavy pot smoker, because his friends shared that he was “obsessed by sitting at home, smoking grass, playing video games”.

McAdams said: “(Jahn) would have recorded more than 10,000 hours of play, and there were a lot of shooting games, so he was sitting there all the time playing all these violent games at home.”

According to NIH data, young men who consume marijuana run the most at risk of developing psychotic diseases such as schizophrenia. (istock)

Investigators reported to Fox News that Tyler Robinson, suspect in Charlie Kirk’s assassination, recorded almost 5,000 hours of solo gameplay before opening fire.

While the Trump administration considers that the reclassification of marijuana as a medication of Annex III, praising the medicinal advantages of the CBD, the question is looming the way in which the pot and the game could have an impact on the mental health of the Americans.

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A June 2023 study, published in the journal Psychopathology, examined the link between game disorder (an addictive behavioral disorder) and psychotic disorders.

Excessive games can act as a trigger for psychotic episodes in some patients, in several cases. The sudden disruption of playing habits could also trigger a psychosis.

The researchers noted that there is a significant lack of research on how these two disorders interact.

Various studies have linked to consumption separately from cannabis consumption and games with psychosis. (istock)

A similar study of 2023, published in BMC Psychiatry, revealed that insomnia and cyberbullying are key mechanisms of this link between play and psychotic disorders.

Researchers have concluded that prevention of sleep deprivation and cyberbullying could reduce the risk.

Use of marijuana to deal with stress or trauma can turn around, studies warn

Another study, published in Frontiers in Psychiatry in 2024, concluded that adolescents and young adults engage in “problematic games” much faster than adults.

Teenagers and young adults also shared similar psychiatric comorbidities, including autism, ADHD and problematic game.

More recent research has highlighted an increased risk of psychosis in certain marijuana consumers.

Young players and substances consumers are more sensitive to psychotic symptoms compared to adults, according to studies. (istock)

A study published in Jama Psychiatry in April revealed that cannabis consumption disorder is associated with increased dopamine activity in the same brain involved in psychosis, which could explain why cannabis increases the risk of psychosis.

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Another September 2025 study compared psychotic symptoms, dissociation and alexithymia (difficulty in identifying and expressing emotions) in non -cannabis users, natural cannabis users and synthetic cannabinoid users.

The results, published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, revealed that synthetic users had more serious psychotic symptoms, high dissociative symptoms with little improvement over time and limited recovery from Alexithymia.

Natural cannabis users have shown high dissociation with a certain improvement. The non-users had higher negative symptoms at the start, but they gradually improved over a period of six months.

A study revealed that synthetic cannabinoid users had higher negative psychotic symptoms. (istock)

Researchers have concluded that synthetic cannabinoids are associated with “more serious and persistent psychotic symptoms and emotional deregulation compared to natural cannabis”.

“These results underline the need for targeted interventions on emotional regulation and the treatment of salience in cannabis psychosis,” wrote the authors.

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Games and cannabis consumption have a more serious impact on the psychosis of younger individuals, has shown research.

For example, a study published by the NIH in 2022 revealed that the general consumption of substances in children under the age of 17 posed a greater risk of psychotic experiences.

“The development of detection and early intervention for the consumption of substances and psychotic type experiences can reduce long -term unwanted results,” concluded researchers.

“The game, when it becomes excessive, can disrupt sleep, increase social isolation and create a cycle of stress and withdrawal.” (Matthew Horwood / Getty Images)

In an interview with Fox News Digital, psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert has confirmed that marijuana consumption and heavy games can “tax the brain in a similar way”.

“Cannabis has been linked to an increased risk of psychosis, especially in young people or those who have family history of mental illness,” he said. “The game, when it becomes excessive, can disrupt sleep, increase social isolation and create a cycle of stress and withdrawal.”

“When these habits occur together, the risks can multiply. Bad sleep, altered brain chemistry and detachment from adaptation skills can converge to increase vulnerability to paranoia, distorted thought or even psychotic episodes,” added Alpert.

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The psychotherapist stressed that the lifestyle around these habits – such as late nights, poor diet, lack of exercise and limited face to face – is “often neglected”.

“All this aggravates the pressure on the brain,” he said. “The result is a higher risk of psychosis and has also weakened overall mental health.”

“Not that each player or cannabis player is in danger, but this cocktail of behavior creates an unhealthy lifestyle that makes people much more vulnerable to serious consequences.”