Key Points

  • A study using national U.S. survey data found that people with cannabis use disorder had the highest 10-year risk of developing generalized anxiety disorder (about 7%) among the three substance groups studied, ahead of alcohol and nicotine use disorders.
  • Achieving remission from a substance use disorder more than halved the risk of developing generalized anxiety disorder across all three substance groups, making recovery a clinically significant protective factor against anxiety onset.
  • There are currently no FDA-approved medications for methamphetamine use disorder; researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center are testing whether a compressed three-week schedule of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can help people with the condition who also have depression.
  • Early findings from the small, 23-person open-label TMS trial showed reduced craving and lower depression severity, but the study had no comparison group and cannot confirm that TMS caused those changes; larger controlled trials are needed.
  • For the first time, the CDC’s National Youth Risk Behavior Survey found 40.5% of U.S. high school students reported binge eating at least once in the past month, with rates higher among students reporting frequent social media use or poor mental health.
  • Binge eating, depression, and substance use can appear together in teens, making cross-screening for all three especially important when any one is identified in a young person.

Addiction News Weekly Episode 1.23

In This Episode

Episode Transcript

Welcome to Addiction News Weekly by Rehab.com, where we break down the biggest stories in addiction, recovery, and public health.

Substance Use Disorders and Generalized Anxiety Risk

We start with a study in the journal Psychiatry Research, reported by Medscape.1,2 Researchers led by Zhao Xiaozong at the Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute in Toronto analyzed a large national survey of U.S. adults called NESARC-III, conducted in 2012 and 2013.

The team compared adults with cannabis use disorder, alcohol use disorder, or nicotine use disorder against more than 16,000 adults who had no history of a substance use disorder. Within 10 years of a substance use disorder starting, about 7% of people with cannabis use disorder had a first episode of generalized anxiety disorder. For alcohol and nicotine use disorders, it was a little over 5%. For people with no substance use disorder, it was about 1.3%.

The finding that matters most for treatment is about recovery. People whose substance use disorder went into remission had less than half the risk of developing anxiety compared with people whose disorder was still active. The authors note that participants were asked to recall when their condition started, so the results show a direction rather than a definitive causal answer.

Dr. Sylvie Stacy on Cannabis, Anxiety, and the Case for Recovery

Rehab.com Medical Officer Dr. Sylvie Stacy offered her clinical take.

In addiction medicine, the overlap between substance use and anxiety is something clinicians see every day. The relationship runs both ways: people frequently use alcohol, cannabis, nicotine, or other substances to self-medicate uncomfortable feelings or manage stress and anxiety. At the same time, sustained substance use, intoxication, and withdrawal can trigger rebound anxiety on their own, sometimes severely.

What makes this study notable is that the researchers isolated a specific sequence of events. They tracked adults who developed a substance use disorder first and followed their likelihood of developing a first episode of generalized anxiety disorder.

The cannabis data are striking. Many patients view cannabis as relatively low-risk, and some use it to try to manage anxiety. But in this study, cannabis use disorder carried the highest 10-year cumulative incidence of generalized anxiety in the whole cohort, at about 7%. The timing of anxiety onset was also the fastest, concentrated mostly in the first three to five years.

Of course, an epidemiological association does not prove that cannabis directly caused the anxiety. Factors like dose, potency, and withdrawal all play important roles. And today’s cannabis products carry considerably higher THC concentrations than what was commonly used around the time of this survey. Even so, if someone is relying on cannabis to control anxiety, that is important information for their doctor or therapist to know. The evidence suggests it is unlikely to provide long-term control, and it may prevent a person from developing behavioral strategies for managing and preventing anxiety.

The first several years after a substance use disorder is diagnosed represent a critical window. Screening for and addressing any emerging anxiety during that period, while actively supporting recovery and remission, can help prevent chronic or severe psychiatric illness from taking hold.

Accelerated TMS Shows Early Promise for Methamphetamine Use Disorder

There are currently no FDA-approved medications for methamphetamine use disorder. Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center, led by Dr. Manish Jha, are testing whether a faster schedule of transcranial magnetic stimulation could help people with the condition who also have depression.3

TMS uses magnetic pulses to stimulate specific areas of the brain and is already approved as a treatment for depression. Standard TMS typically means one session a day, five days a week, for six weeks or more, a schedule that is difficult for many people with substance use disorders to maintain.

This trial compressed 50 short sessions into three weeks, with several sessions per day. Participants had methamphetamine or cocaine use disorder along with depression. According to MedPage Today, Dr. Jha presented early results at a recent American Society of Functional Neuroradiology meeting.

Nearly everyone who started the treatment finished almost all of the sessions. Participants reported less craving for methamphetamine and lower overall depression severity. Their cue-induced craving, when shown drug-related images, changed little.

This was a small, early study of 23 people with no comparison group, so it cannot show that TMS caused those changes. Larger controlled trials are the next step. In the meantime, behavioral therapy and outpatient and residential programs remain available to people seeking help for methamphetamine use today, and programs that treat depression as a co-occurring condition can address both at once.

CDC Releases First National Data on Binge Eating Among High Schoolers

For the first time, the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey asked high school students about binge eating, which means eating an unusually large amount of food in a short time while feeling a loss of control.4 In the 2025 survey, 40.5% of students said they had binge eaten at least once in the past month. About 17% said it happened on three or more days.

Binge eating was more common among students who used social media hourly or more and among students who reported poor mental health. It was also more common among students who had seriously considered suicide in the past year: 27% compared with 15% of those who had not. The pattern held for both boys and girls.

The survey is a snapshot and cannot establish which condition came first. The CDC report points families to SAMHSA’s National Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders.

Binge eating disorder, depression, and substance use can appear together in teens, so a young person showing signs of one may benefit from screening for the others. A pediatrician or mental health professional is a strong first step.

Conclusion

Three stories this week, and they all involve more than one condition at the same time. If you or someone you love is looking for treatment, ask whether a program screens for and treats mental health conditions alongside substance use. Rehab.com lists thousands of verified centers across the country, and free, confidential support is available anytime through the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357. If you or someone you love is in crisis, you can call or text 988 at any time.

Those are the top stories in the news. For more, visit Rehab.com. I’m Kay, and thank you for listening.

Sources in This Episode

  1. Medscape. Substance Use Disorder Linked to Risk for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. 2026. Available at: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/substance-use-disorder-linked-risk-generalized-anxiety-2026a10012lr. Accessed November 3, 2026.
  2. Jha MK. Accelerated TMS schedule for methamphetamine use disorder and depression: early open-label results. Presented at: American Society of Functional Neuroradiology Annual Meeting; 2026; Newport Beach, CA. Reported by MedPage Today.
  3. Saelee R, Trinh E, Demissie Z, et al. Prevalence of Binge Eating Behavior Among High School Students and Associations with Social Media Use, Mental Health, and Suicide Risk — Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2025. MMWR Suppl. 2026;75(Suppl 1):44-53. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/75/su/su7501a5.htm. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Dr. Sylvie Stacy Written By: Dr. Sylvie Stacy MD, MPH Chief Medical Officer
Sylvie Stacy, MD, MPH, Medical Officer at Rehab.com, is a board-certified addiction medicine specialist with over a decade of experience treating individuals with addictions in diverse clinical settings including residential treatment programs, detox centers, outpatient clinics, and correctional facilities.