Marijuana And Psychotic Illness Posted: 06-15-07 11:21am
This was published in the peer reviewed
"Current Psychiatry" 2/07. I cannot post
the article in full b/c of publishing
issues, but here is a summary:
"Mj can cause psychotic illness,
particularily in persons at risk. Treat
both the psychosis and substance abuse.
Psychoeducation might be as effective as
cannabis-specific treatments. Patients
with a psychotic illness who use mj have a
worse prognosis than nonusers."
The persons at risk are adolescents whose
brains are still developing and have a
genetic predisposition to psychotic
illnesses, such as the schizophrenic
spectrum of disorders.
Patients who have psychotic illnesses and
use mj, compared to nonusers, tend to have
earlier onset of schizophrenia, more
psychotic symptoms, worse prognosis b/c of
poorer treatment adherence, increased
symptom severity and persistence, and
higher relaspse rate.
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sillyakchick
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Posted: 06-15-07 11:46am
I agree with you on this, .Birch. There
are definitely people who should not use
mj as a medication or recreationally. My
psychiatrist cautioned me against using it
when I was being treated for anxiety, as
it can heighten this feeling, and i
certainly agree that it can. As with any
drug, I think users should have caution
and not treat it so cavalier-ly as it is.
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Tylanas
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Posted: 06-19-07 21:21pm
Responsibility must be taken with any
drug, natural or not.
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HappyHappy
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Yep. Posted: 06-22-07 06:34am
I'm schizophrenic I believe and I have
smoked it before. It isn't fun nor
relaxing for us, it is a frightening
experience. Strange things happen to us
when we smoke it, even stranger than
normal. I can't understand why it is
relaxing for some to smoke it, and it does
the complete opposite to us. It
really sucks because we need something to
do like everybody else, well, some of us
anyway, not the bad ones. And to be
honest before I became ill i loved to
party. But after your psychotic breakdown
there is no drinking, no smoking, no fun,
no relief.
So what are we supposed to do for fun?
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Tylanas
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Posted: 06-22-07 13:48pm
You can't party without drinking or
smoking pot? Sorry if that sounds callous,
but I'm generally straigtedge aside from a
few special occasions, and even then, I
don't have a need to drink. I've never
smoked. Why can't you go to a dance club
and not drink, and just dance and have a
good time sober, making fun of the dumb
drunk people?
Don't you have hobbies? Swim? Draw?
Meditate? Hang out and just talk? Explore
museums? Go to an amusement park?
I just find it totally silly that you
think you can't have fun sober and off
drugs. I don't feel this huge "need" to
get drunk. I've never actually been
totally drunk.
I relax laying in the sun, taking a long
walk in autumn. I play games with my
friends. We hang out. But we hang out in a
public place on a college, so there isn't
even any alcohol within a mile of us.
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Willa Weintraub
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Posted: 06-22-07 14:35pm
Eiri
wrote:
You can't party without
drinking or smoking pot? Sorry if that
sounds callous, but I'm generally
straigtedge aside from a few special
occasions, and even then, I don't have a
need to drink. I've never smoked. Why
can't you go to a dance club and not
drink, and just dance and have a good time
sober, making fun of the dumb drunk
people?
Don't you have hobbies? Swim? Draw?
Meditate? Hang out and just talk? Explore
museums? Go to an amusement park?
I just find it totally silly that you
think you can't have fun sober and off
drugs. I don't feel this huge "need" to
get drunk. I've never actually been
totally drunk.
I relax laying in the sun, taking a long
walk in autumn. I play games with my
friends. We hang out. But we hang out in a
public place on a college, so there isn't
even any alcohol within a mile of
us.
to most people that is
fun.it's a way to really let loose and not
give a dang about hwat people think.It's
like its your time and no one else
matters.It's not for everyone.
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Tylanas
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Posted: 06-22-07 16:57pm
I suppose it's not, but I let loose during
many of the non-drug non-alcohol
activities I listed... I guess I don't
hide who I really am, so I have no need to
"let loose" because I'm loose all the
time... So I don't needs drugs or alcohol
to help me feel better about myself.
I'm sure there are many of you guys on
here who don't do marijuanna just to "let
loose" and be someone you can't be during
the day. I'm sure many of you use it more
like I use meditation.
I think (my opinion is) that it is
unhealthy to live a life where you cannot
have fun or let go or relax unless you're
under the influence. Not being able to
have that skill in a normal state of mind
seems detrimental to me... I can relax
just about anywhere. I don't need weed too
do it.
Again, this is all just my opinion, but I
am a rather opinionated person With a very odd mix
of conservative and liberal ideals.
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Willa Weintraub
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Posted: 06-25-07 08:58am
Eiri
wrote:
I suppose it's not, but I
let loose during many of the non-drug
non-alcohol activities I listed... I guess
I don't hide who I really am, so I have no
need to "let loose" because I'm loose all
the time... So I don't needs drugs or
alcohol to help me feel better about
myself.
Its not about hiding who
you are.I'm a very laid back person myself
but drinking sometimes does make things
more fun and interesting.I don't need it
to feel better about myself either.Thats
what its about for some but not all.It's
just a way to have fun!
Eiri
wrote:
I'm sure there are many of
you guys on here who don't do marijuanna
just to "let loose" and be someone you
can't be during the day. I'm sure many of
you use it more like I use
meditation.
again, its not about not
being yourself its about fun on a
different level!
Eiri
wrote:
I think (my opinion is) that
it is unhealthy to live a life where you
cannot have fun or let go or relax unless
you're under the influence. Not being able
to have that skill in a normal state of
mind seems detrimental to me... I can
relax just about anywhere. I don't need
weed too do
it.
Again. . .I know this is
your opinion but the fact is not everyone
is like that.read above statements.Some
people just don't understand.
Eiri
wrote:
Again, this is all just my
opinion, but I am a rather opinionated
person With a very odd mix
of conservative and liberal
ideals.
I am too!
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HappyHappy
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Woops. Posted: 06-26-07 11:43am
I got off of the subject.
Marijuana and psychotic illness.
I shouldn't smoke it is pretty much all
that I can say.
It makes me to sensitive and to aware.
Much to aware. Yes awareness can be a bad
thing.
And it does seem to increase the symptoms
of my disease.
Other mentally ill people may be able to
do it though, I don't know.
But if they are anything like me I hope
that they do not, especially the murderous
ones, ya know?
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Birch
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Re: Woops. Posted: 06-27-07 16:45pm
gudazdead
wrote:
I got off of the subject.
Marijuana and psychotic illness.
I shouldn't smoke it is pretty much all
that I can say.
It makes me to sensitive and to aware.
Much to aware. Yes awareness can be a bad
thing.
And it does seem to increase the symptoms
of my disease.
Other mentally ill people may be able to
do it though, I don't know.
But if they are anything like me I hope
that they do not, especially the murderous
ones, ya
know?
Well, my point was more that adolescents
smoking mj may have an increased chance of
earlier onset of sz, and they may also
have a worse prognosis.
I hope that you fin another way to find
relief.
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ma3n0ia
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Joined: 09 Jan 2008 Posts: 14
Posted: 01-12-08 04:25am
I am 19 years old and was diagnosed with
bipolar disorder about 4 years ago. I take
3 different meds for it and this could
have something to do with the effect of
my marijuana experience. But i also
noticed that while i smoke i feel
COMPLETELY insane .. don't get me wrong
most of the time i am chill and fine but
every so often i completely go crazy and
hallucinate, auditory and visual, speak
dyslexically (sense made that if), and
feel like im going to die. At times ive
even talked to myself in my head wondering
if i were still alive or not. For days
after i smoke i still feel not quite
myself for a while and generally more
depressed and irritable. Of course i am an
idiotic teenager tho and risk still
smoking for the possible enjoyable
experience.
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Tylanas
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Posted: 01-12-08 10:00am
Why would you do something you don't
enjoy? If this happens to you every single
time yet you repeat the activity expecting
something different... that's actually a
sign of insanity, isn't it? I'd say you
need to lay of the smoking before it
really does kill you.
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ma3n0ia
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Joined: 09 Jan 2008 Posts: 14
Posted: 01-12-08 14:43pm
" don't get me wrong most of the time i am
chill and fine but EVERY SO OFTEN i am
completely insane .. "
It doesn't happen everytime just
occassionally. I'd say 40 percent of the
time.
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Tylanas
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Posted: 01-12-08 15:52pm
That's one to many times for me. If
something that horrible happened to me
more than even once, I'd never touch the
stuff again.
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Birch
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Posted: 01-12-08 16:13pm
Your brain is still developing. As an
individual diagnosed with bipolar disorder
and taking medications for it, you need to
stay away from harmful substances like mj,
nicotine, caffiene, and alcohol. These
things are going to effect you differently
than the average user and have potentially
deadly interactions with your
medications.
I used to work in a psych unit of a
hospital and saw many young adults w/
bipolar disorder who were high on only
marijuana but who were a bloody mess.
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homerx
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Posted: 01-28-08 22:26pm
Birch
wrote:
Your brain is still
developing. As an individual diagnosed
with bipolar disorder and taking
medications for it, you need to stay away
from harmful substances like mj, nicotine,
caffiene, and alcohol. These things are
going to effect you differently than the
average user and have potentially deadly
interactions with your medications.
I used to work in a psych unit of a
hospital and saw many young adults w/
bipolar disorder who were high on only
marijuana but who were a bloody
mess.
I worked at a psych unit also and have
never heard of that but with psych
patients anything is possible.. Patients
on a psych ward should never do any kind
of mind altering drugs, coffee,herbs,cigs,
liquor, etc...they are on a psych
ward...HELLO..no nothing except prescribed
meds from there physicians. If some one is
psychotic then anything is likely to send
them on an episode so you really cant
blame the pot. It was the person. They
could go psychotic over a TV show, a song,
a memory, anything..I think the person you
are referring to as a bloody mess would
have been a mess with or without the pot.
It does not help to smoke pot if you are
mentally unstable...it doesn't help to do
drugs and drink either..but that is an
entirely different subject all together.
It
really sucks because we need something to
do like everybody else, well, some of us
anyway, not the bad ones. And to be
honest before I became ill i loved to
party. But after your psychotic breakdown
there is no drinking, no smoking, no fun,
no relief.
With a very odd mix
of conservative and liberal ideals.
