Long Term Marijuana Use + Mental Health?

[MadHorse]

I study medicine and had a trimester about psychomedical issues where we saw some patients. We were taught that there's most definately a relation between pot usage at a young age and developing psychomedical problems. Asking about marijuana was a standard question at these patient encounters.

I don't know the exact biochemical cause of this. I know that meth-usage causes a tremendous rise of dopamine in the brain which causes pleasurable feeling in one part of the brain but could cause hallucinations and such in the other. So if I had to guess I'd say that an increase in dopamine (and changes in the dopamine-receptor) lies at the basis

 

[MadHorse]

I've been smoking since I was 13 and I'm now 29, I have no issues from using and I am a heavy user. My lungs could use a break from smoking it again, but other than that I don't have any issues. Too many people smoke weed to cover up their issues, like someone stated already, so its hard to tell when something goes wrong if it was the weed, or if the issue was there before they started.

Psychomedical issues are the result of your genetic makeup and external factors: For example, some people are just more prone to depression than others but they would never develop symptoms if it wasn't for some traumatic event. You can't discount a relationship between pot and mental issues just cause you didn't get any.

Pot-usage most likely isn't the direct cause of mental issues. But I'd say it's not improbable that a substance that alters you're brain chemistry could be an attributing factor

 

[Michaelangelo]

If you abuse it for a long time I wouldn't be surprised. And I'm talking about the guys who smoke every 2 hours or whatever.

 

[def1]

I study medicine and had a trimester about psychomedical issues where we saw some patients. We were taught that there's most definately a relation between pot usage at a young age and developing psychomedical problems. Asking about marijuana was a standard question at these patient encounters.

I don't know the exact biochemical cause of this. I know that meth-usage causes a tremendous rise of dopamine in the brain which causes pleasurable feeling in one part of the brain but could cause hallucinations and such in the other. So if I had to guess I'd say that an increase in dopamine (and changes in the dopamine-receptor) lies at the basis

The correlation doesnt mean causation though. Pot use at a young age might be due to already mental issues and not the cause of those issues.

 

[Stargazer Rex]

If your friend started smoking weed at eleven I'm guessing the shithead family he grew up in probably had something to do with him manifesting into a nutcase.

lol this

 

[weed]

I think if you do nothing when high you become a jackass.

I actually do shit high - work, read, run errands etc. it compliments all of those things & everything nicely

 

[Stargazer Rex]

I think if you do nothing when high you become a jackass.

I actually do shit high - work, read, run errands etc. it compliments all of those things & everything nicely

Yea, I love running and lifting high.

 

[Tycho- Taylor's Version]

I study medicine and had a trimester about psychomedical issues where we saw some patients. We were taught that there's most definately a relation between pot usage at a young age and developing psychomedical problems. Asking about marijuana was a standard question at these patient encounters.

I don't know the exact biochemical cause of this. I know that meth-usage causes a tremendous rise of dopamine in the brain which causes pleasurable feeling in one part of the brain but could cause hallucinations and such in the other. So if I had to guess I'd say that an increase in dopamine (and changes in the dopamine-receptor) lies at the basis

Seems odd that you guys would be focusing on the patient reports over the clinical research.

 

[fightingrabbit]

This is my understanding of it. It won't cause schizophrenia, but it might make it worse if you are already predisposed to it.

This.

 

[Xplosives]

Know 2 people with Marijuana induced schizophrenia and one with a serious personality disorder, it's no joke. The guy with the personality disorder is lucky because he started using it at the age of 20-21 so it did not manifest itself as badly onto him. Predisposed conditions definitely worsen in people when using marijuana.

 

[HereticBD]

It varies from person to person, but like any drug it has it's "possible" side-effects.

 

[Rusk]

i think paranoia is common

 

[Brock2026]

I think someone who alters their brain chemistry that young and that often is at a higher risk of mental illness. But millions of people smoke weed everyday and very few become mentally ill. Also most mental illnesses are genetically inherited.

 

[aldeniro78]

You do anything like that consistently and it's going to cause problems at some point.

Smoke too much, you'll destroy your lungs.

Drink too much and you'll destroy your liver and mind.

Smoke too much pot, same goes for your mind and lungs. Just no way around it.

 

[RoryFan]

Me and my circle of friends have all smoked for countless years I've never witnesed any adverse psycological issues from smoking weed in any one I know, In fact I've witnessed a lot of the opposite some really angry guys that started smoking weed and are now much more mentally stable.

Call me a hippie weed advocate if you like but this is just my personal experience over the past 10+ years.

 

[Groundswell]

Me and my circle of friends have all smoked for countless years I've never witnesed any adverse psycological issues from smoking weed in any one I know, In fact I've witnessed a lot of the opposite some really angry guys that started smoking weed and are now much more mentally stable.

Call me a hippie weed advocate if you like but this is just my personal experience over the past 10+ years.

Proof positive.

 

[RoryFan]

Proof positive.

I'm just relaying my first hand experience from the past 12 years, I never said I got off my arse and did the science.... In fact I went out of my way to express that it was just my personal opinion.

But hey thanks for the insight on the subject there broseph, I'll make a note of it in my memoirs.

 

[Mountain Dew]

Me and my circle of friends have all smoked for countless years I've never witnesed any adverse psycological issues from smoking weed in any one I know, In fact I've witnessed a lot of the opposite some really angry guys that started smoking weed and are now much more mentally stable.

Call me a hippie weed advocate if you like but this is just my personal experience over the past 10+ years.

Would you say that the amount of weed you and your friends smoked, was excessive? Was it a daily/weekly thing?

 

[Mountain Dew]

Also, I was listening to Jay Mohr's podcast and his manager Barry Katz was on the show, he also managed Dave Chapelle. He said that Dave smoked insane amounts of weed everyday to function socially, and believed it was part of the reason he went nuts.

 

[Horus]

I've worked in an industry dealing with people that use for 17 years or so. I've had people that have gone thru rehab tell me personally that it does lead to harder stuff and it can contribute to psychosis and schizophrenia.

I have also seen enough to suspect the same. I don't have degrees in mental health though so my opinion is officially shit.