Weed and mental illness

If you disagree watch the union. If you agree... watch the union. If you know whats up, watch it again.
 
The Union says almost nothing about the mental health scares around cannabis.

People seriously need to stop sucking this movie's dick.
 
haha this post made me laugh. you obviously dont know much about genetics, or psychological disorders.

i do agree with the OP though. sadly
 
i dont know about anyone else but when i get high i feel and think differently, because im high. does that mean i have multiple personalities?

the same could be said if you are drunk or anything pretty much. if ive been skiing hard all day i feel and think differently than if i was sitting on my ass on newschoolers.

 
oh no, i am very aware that it is a real thing. my friend is currently going through this same thing, hopefully he will recover.
my point is that there is no perfect drug. true, marijuana maybe isn't the horrible cancer-causing, crazy making, woman raping death drug that the government has portrayed it over the past century, but it has it's side effects just life every other substance you put into your body. i've done a fair amount of research into marijuana smokers and their dopamine levels and here is what basically needs to happen for you to have a problem:
1) basically you need to be a special case. most brains (no offense) don't really have a hard time keeping up and balancing your dopamine and serotonin levels regardless of how much weed smoke you pump into your body. but some people are different if that's the case, these next two apply to you:
a) you must be in a sensitive state of mind.
and b) you must be a pretty heavy smoker. and by heavy i mean by regularity/amount of times, not by pure volume.

this all being said it's a rare day where i don't smoke and i'm currently high right now.
 
yea you see, you are retarded, because weed contains the same % of thc as it always has, and it ranges from the kind of marijuana, just as it did back in the day...
 
If its not in your genetics when you are born then no amount of weed will ever cause you to go schizo. If you do have a genetic predisposition weed can cause the illness to appear earlier.
 
weed wont cause schizophrenia its drugs like LSD that will bring about schizophrenia EARLY ON, though chances are you will develop it later in life.
 
I am just saying that in most cases where a drug has been called to blame, a genetic tendency is also found. I completely agree that all mental issues are on a case to case basis, take it from somebody who's family (extended and immediate) has a whole slew of varying mental illnesses. But do you honestly believe that weed (and weed alone) cause your possible schizophrenia?
 
There have been a lot of studies that have come to the conclusive result that weed often triggers underlying mental illnesses. I'm a daily toker, I have nothing against weed, but this is fact.
 
I can guarantee you that there are no studies giving you conclusive results that cannabis triggers underlying mental illness. There have only been studies to show a positive correlation. Any 1st year student can tell you can't prove causation with correlation.

 
one time it mentally fucked me up for a solid 6+ months...I was all dazed and out of it all the time. Made me quit right then and there. Shit was prob laced but it caused some serious mental issues for a while. Best to avoid it if you ask me, but to e.h.o.
 
You probably smoked shit dipped in pine sol or something nasty. The danger of weed comes from its illegality, no quality control. Your weed is not "laced", no one mixes in more expensive drugs with weed, it doesn't even make sense. They will put gross shit in there like pine sol though to add weight, and inhaling stuff like that can really damage your health.
 
Common sense should tell you that just because a disorder hasn't specifically been tested for, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
 
I dont know about that. research shows that in individuals who are predisposed to schizophrenia, smoking weed at young ages can lead to early onset of the disease/ symptoms.

as for mental illness ... its a case of what came first, the chicken or the egg. individuals with mental illnes are more likely to engage in risky behaviour, such as smoking and drug use. so to say weed smoking makes you crazy may not be true. being crazy may make you smoke weed. either way, the two are interconnected, but the research has yet to provide a clear causative link.

if you have mental illness in your family, getting high is a bad idea ... just like drinking is bad if alcoholism is a family trait.
 
No. It really shouldn't. And that's the whole concept behind science. You need to be able to isolate a variable and test for it. And so far there haven't been any studies properly eliminating all confounding variables from an experiment to support the hypothesis that cannabis either causes or instigates mental illness.

I'll say it again. Correlation does not prove causality.
 
increased risk of more than just schizophrenia. paranoia, anxiety, increased levels of stress, depression, mood swings, obesity, laziness, death, criminal activity, increased drug use, violence & rage, the list goes on. Of course all of these things are caused by the lack of marijuana after a period of heavy usage.
 
"Cannabis use appears to be neither a sufficient nor a necessary cause for psychosis. It is a component cause, part of a complex constellation of factors leading to psychosis."

Arseneault, Louise; Cannon, Mary; Witton, John; Murray, Robin M. (2004). "Causal association between cannabis and psychosis: examination of the evidence". The British Journal of Psychiatry 184 (2): 110–117. doi:10.1192/bjp.184.2.110. PMID 14754822. http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/184/2/110.

That being said, there is evidence to the contrary. The mind is a complex place that no one fully understands. Weed could be able to access a part of you mind that usually isn't acknowledged, thus leading to the "mental illnesses." My aunt was schizophrenic, and when I did shrooms, I became paranoid that I was becoming schizophrenic, but in fact, it was just fear fueling fear. Stop trying to claim that weed can cause mental illness as a fact, because it isn't, there isn't enough conclusive evidence due to the illegality of it. If it is made legal, then legitimate, unbiased studies can be performed and conclusive evidence might be able to surface. The same goes for the opposing argument. Let me repeat that so I don't have people jumping down my throat. THE SAME GOES FOR BOTH SIDES OF THE ARGUMENT. We can argue until we're blue in the face but that won't change the fact that neither of the sides know enough to form a legitimate conclusion.

Both sides will spew out the same "evidence" for their side.

It's very hard to get straight facts on illicit drugs, besides chemical make-ups and vague effects because of how different peoples minds are and the difficulty of testing these drugs. Also because it is illegal there is a strong HIGHLY biased force trying to give the drug a bad name. On the other hand, there are users who try to give it a good name.

/semi-rant like thing.
 
From one of your sources.

Marijuana, however, has only been linked to schizophrenia in those who are already genetically prone to the disease. There is little evidence to suggest that it poses any such risk to those not genetically predisposed to schizophrenia.

"They (non-schizophrenics who smoke marijuana) might have altered perception while they're smoking," said Dr. William Carpenter, Director of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, "but in terms of developing the disease, it may be a very small risk factor. For most people it won't happen."
 
i've felt slightly schizophrenic during a few times that i've been high. i'm not kidding. i hope to dear god i don't actually become schizophrenic. there was a relative (not sure which) that apparently was schizophrenic in my family, but for me i've only felt insane when high. and usually i'm fine, and i've had more pleasant or tremendously fun/chill highs than these crazy scary and fucked up ones by far
 
If MJ made you a skitzo then you probably were already one and didn't realize it until you got real high.

The fact is MJ can have adverse Mental side effects, I for example don't smoke very often anymore (used to smoke many times/day) because sometimes I get freak out and really paranoid. But in my opinion anyone who smoke weed and instantly lose's there mind probably had severe issues to begin with. The worst side effect of MJ is that it can raise your heart rate and in-turn blood pressure. If your family has a history of heart conditions you should consider given it up or at least slowing down by the time you turn 25/30. Like any other drug MJ cause's changes in our brain. Its up to the individual to decided if benefits out way the risks.

I will promise you one thing tho. Smoking pot is a lot safer and better for you than drinking and also can reduce symptoms safer than many prescription drugs (pain killers, anti anxiety, sleeping pills etc).
 
Honestley i agree with you and that eventually it can mess you up mentally. Ive smoked weed for the first time at least six years ago and have smoked multiple times daily for the better part of the last two years. Over the past year ive been feeling less and less my old self as in depressed, isolated, weight shifts, less motivation in everything in general, sometimes angy, and getting in trouble more often, basically everything in one of the earlier posts. I havnt credited this to weed until very recently, in fact i always smoked to get away from these feelings because who doesnt feel great when high. I know its not addicting but you sure can become dependant. Everytime i say im taking a tolerance break i end up 4 days in saying "fuck this shit i liked smoking more." These feelings have gotten more and more intense the longer i consistently smoke. Now i cant say its truly from smoking because i never felt this way when not thus nothing to compare, but more and more am i becoming aware of the possibility.

Say all you want about it not being proven but somethings dont need a full scientific conclusion to be true (evolution). and by the way this is coming from someone who has smoked alot, believes that if everyone smoked maybe the world could better, and no documented cases of any mental illness throughout my family.

So id say to anyone who feels fine when smoking keep it up its great id chief a bowl now if we were chillin together, but its becoming increasingly evident that smoking has had a negative impact on the past couple years of my life, and that the connection to mental illness has credence. I just hope its decrimmed at least so this can be proven and normal kids can go one smoking without being hassled by authority for a personal choice.
 
This has nothing to do with correlation/causality. It's plain ignant to think that certain effects don't transpire from drug use simply because nobody has taken the time to specifically test for it.
 
we is this even a discussion? don't smoke weed if you're so afraid of being schizo, smoke it if you don't give a fuck and know that you're not going to become a schizo anyways. duh.

some peoples kids...
 
You are completely ignoring everything any science class has ever taught you. No experiment to date has isolated all confounding variables that could potentially be the reason that some marijuana smokers have a mental disorder.

How can you be so sure that the mental illness doesn't cause a change in one's biological make up to cause the person to seek out illicit substances. You absolutely can't. But because you saw on the news that there is a positive correlation between drug use and mental illness you automatically believe it is the drug causing the problem.

Let me put this in easy terms for you. If there is a correlation between two variables, negative or positive, 3 possibilities arise:

1. X causes Y

2. Y causes X

3. A third variable Z is the cause of either X and/or Y

You have no scientific evidence whatsoever to back up your claim that I am ignorant because I don't believe that it is the drug that causes the mental illness.

 
I am well aware of the difference between correlation/causation. Maybe instead of quoting a science textbook, you should read a little more carefully. The only claim that I'm making is that you can't state something doesn't exist simply because it hasn't specifically been proven otherwise. This has nothing to do with science, it's simple logic.

There is no documented "proof" that LSD can have disastrous effects, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.
 
How do they know that you had a psychotic breakdown? Not trying to be disrespectful, I'm actually interested to hear what caused you to be diagnosed with psychosis. What were the symptoms, how did you feel? My aunt was schizophrenic, and I'm really interested in that area of psychology. Hit me up with a pm or get back to me in this thread.

Oh, and to everyone, be careful how you word things. Weed cannot "cause" mental illnesses, it can aid in the emergence of them. If you can develop the mental illness when you do drugs, you can develop it without the drugs. Don't try to argue it, because it's true. Think about it, drugs alter your perception of reality, but so can meditation, drugs just do it faster and easier. The mind is an incredible place, but some parts of it should not be explored.
 
IF your in the small percentage of people that have a predisposition for mental illness, using any psychoactive drugs can trigger the mental illness.

I think with weed it takes a while and is only a part in actually triggering it. But I'm not 100% sure. Still one of the safest/ most useful drugs around.
 
If you could find me a person who has taken no other drugs but acid then I might agree with you. I've never come across a person like that and I doubt you have either.
 
It has never been proven (only correlated) that cigarettes cause cancer, but would you smoke them and think that your in the clear? Probably not. I understand that this is not really part of the argument, but you have been on this whole "correlation is not causation" kick and sometimes it really doesnt matter.
 
Don't get me wrong, science is the best method for determination, but if somebody smokes weed all their life without any problems, then drops acid once and develops schizophrenia, are you really going to say it wasn't the acid? And yes, I've personally seen this happen to more than one person.

I don't see why you're arguing this whole causation/correlation thing; I completely agree with it. What I'm saying is that you can't put faith in an untested scenario just because nobody has gotten around to testing it. That's like saying God exists simply because nobody has used the scientific method to prove he doesn't. I'm all for science, but it would be arrogant to think that we know everything.

And for the record, the idea of weed giving a person schizophrenia is BS. If schizophrenia happens, it was going to happen anyway, drug or no drug.

 
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