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Schizophrenia linked to marijuana use disorder is on the rise, study finds

cnn.com

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Re: Schizophrenia linked to marijuana use disorder is on the rise, study finds

#301
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you share that analogy? I take Benzodiazepam from time to time but never more than once every 3-4 months. Keen to learn a bit more. :)

Not OP, but benzo's can be problematic because they can exacerbate the condition they're meant to treat. I.e. they are often prescribed for anxiety, but one of the symptoms of benzo withdrawal is heightened anxiety. It creates a feedback loop where the medication builds an addiction, and the only way out of that addiction is to suffer a worse version of the symptoms you were trying to self-medicate away in the first…

I can confirm that benzos cause rebound anxiety. I have a small supply for as-needed use. A single dose will help significantly that day but make the next day or two worse. But that doesn't mean they aren't useful.

They are extremely helpful since I'm bipolar. They give me a buffer for highly stressful events, so I'm not dealing with both anxiety and the event. Having anxiety the next day sucks but avoiding a manic or depressive episode is worth that.

Re: Schizophrenia linked to marijuana use disorder is on the rise, study finds

#302

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. The narrative of the "stronger, more dangerous(!) weed" falls short because consumers have always, and will always, micro-dose. That's just the human way to do it. You don't drink 1l of water when you are thirsty, you drink until the body tells you it is enough. You don't eat until the food is empty (ok well, sometimes we do..), you eat until you are full. I find it disappointing the same'ol propaganda reapp…

To be fair, if someone gets to the point that they’re dabbing concentrates, the minimum dose is pretty damn high, and it’s easy to overdo it. If a casual smoker made the mistake of smoking a dab, they might be in for a surprise. Many of the vape pens are also extremely potent, and it’s even easier to overuse those. I’m not saying the old propaganda has any value, but I do think it’s a lot easier than many think to le…

Ok I was commenting on the false narrative of stronger weed strains causing overdosing. If we talk about concentrates that's a different situation I agree.

Re: Schizophrenia linked to marijuana use disorder is on the rise, study finds

#303
post #277
post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same experience with a (art) therapist in a mental hospital (less than 1500 beds). Very persistent in asserting that weed causes some people to end up there. I don't think it's a good argument against legalization. We don't ban alcohol, because there are alcoholics. I think it would be smarter to regulate the recreational drug industry and use its taxes to fund relevant education, research and mental health programme…

You can drink a bit too much with 18 during a year and nicely recover. With marijuana, you smoke a bit too much during a year and you are good for life. This is why I totally understand the point of view of the therapists having to deal with the long term effects on these unlucky people. Both sides have good arguments, one cannot ignore them, only trade-offs to accept one way or another.

Nice try. A little bit too much? It's about heavy use. Heavy use of marijuana can lead to shizophrenia, heavy use of alcohol can kill you or at least severely damage your brain or liver. Not to mention the number of secondary victims of alcohol through drunk driving or violence. Compare that to marijuana and alcohol is the bigger problem.

Re: Schizophrenia linked to marijuana use disorder is on the rise, study finds

#304
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not OP, but benzo's can be problematic because they can exacerbate the condition they're meant to treat. I.e. they are often prescribed for anxiety, but one of the symptoms of benzo withdrawal is heightened anxiety. It creates a feedback loop where the medication builds an addiction, and the only way out of that addiction is to suffer a worse version of the symptoms you were trying to self-medicate away in the first…

Sorry to report this, but stimulant withdrawal absolutely exacerbates the symptoms of ADHD. Not so much with amphetamine (which is weakly reinforcing at recommended doses), but for nicotine, I know ADHD folks who have straight quit for a couple months, then go back because their life has become a complete shambles and it doesn't seem to be getting better.

As far as I know, nicotine isn't approved for treatment of ADHD.

Re: Schizophrenia linked to marijuana use disorder is on the rise, study finds

#306

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. The narrative of the "stronger, more dangerous(!) weed" falls short because consumers have always, and will always, micro-dose. That's just the human way to do it. You don't drink 1l of water when you are thirsty, you drink until the body tells you it is enough. You don't eat until the food is empty (ok well, sometimes we do..), you eat until you are full. I find it disappointing the same'ol propaganda reapp…

That's very much not universal. Some people use moderation, some people go crazy on it. It's always been that way, for anything. There are drinkers who will have a couple of drinks, get pleasantly buzzed, and enjoy their evening, and there's people who get completely smashed every time. Same thing for food--over 40% of Americans are obese now. It would be very surprising if there weren't (at least) a substantial mino…

Reckless people abusing substances is not a sound argumment against the substances.

With food the issue is how our body is tricked to not feel full when in fact through more sugar and fat he got way too much calories. Then getting addiced to sugar and fat. While of course very problematic, that's a different matter, not directly comparable.

Re: Schizophrenia linked to marijuana use disorder is on the rise, study finds

#307
post #277
post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same experience with a (art) therapist in a mental hospital (less than 1500 beds). Very persistent in asserting that weed causes some people to end up there. I don't think it's a good argument against legalization. We don't ban alcohol, because there are alcoholics. I think it would be smarter to regulate the recreational drug industry and use its taxes to fund relevant education, research and mental health programme…

You can drink a bit too much with 18 during a year and nicely recover. With marijuana, you smoke a bit too much during a year and you are good for life. This is why I totally understand the point of view of the therapists having to deal with the long term effects on these unlucky people. Both sides have good arguments, one cannot ignore them, only trade-offs to accept one way or another.

> You can drink a bit too much with 18 during a year and nicely recover. With marijuana, you smoke a bit too much during a year and you are good for life.

That's contrary to my understanding. I think you're overestimating the damage of one and underestimating the damage of the other. If you've underlying conditions susceptible to drinking or to smoking, indulgence in either can have dire consequences. For what it's worth, smoking for days straight is much much better in all ways than drinking for days straight.

Re: Schizophrenia linked to marijuana use disorder is on the rise, study finds

#308
post #47

>> In 1995, 2% of schizophrenia diagnoses in the country were associated with cannabis use disorder. In 2000, it increased to around 4%. Since 2010, that figure increased to 8%, the study found. Worded that way, causation isn't the first thing this suggests to me. If percentage of cases associated with marijuana rise, it could also be that a larger percentage of the population is smoking and admitting to smoking mari…

I get schizophrenia from smoking pot. But I also know people who get it who've never been pot heads. Something about THC is at the center of this. And also something about age. I used to be able to smoke as much as I wanted and just enjoy it, then one day it started making me crazy.. and I kept smoking for a few years and truly lost my mind. I've heard this story countless times... something (usually around age 20) j…

Is the paranoia thing schizophrenia? I have similar issue where around 27 no longer could smoke without getting super paranoid. Typically I have found if I am not living right in some way weed will bring the fear of it right out. However are you saying anything along the lines that this paranoia thing is related to schizo?

Re: Schizophrenia linked to marijuana use disorder is on the rise, study finds

#309
post #303
post #277

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can drink a bit too much with 18 during a year and nicely recover. With marijuana, you smoke a bit too much during a year and you are good for life. This is why I totally understand the point of view of the therapists having to deal with the long term effects on these unlucky people. Both sides have good arguments, one cannot ignore them, only trade-offs to accept one way or another.

Nice try. A little bit too much? It's about heavy use. Heavy use of marijuana can lead to shizophrenia, heavy use of alcohol can kill you or at least severely damage your brain or liver. Not to mention the number of secondary victims of alcohol through drunk driving or violence. Compare that to marijuana and alcohol is the bigger problem.

I'll add that alcoholism's social and psychological effects can be extreme. Some cultures have experienced it more than others.

A close relative had that since ~30 years of age until death at ~80 years of age. During his twenties he abstained. Then it was social drinking, then it became more frequent, then he started becoming dysfunctional, not being able to perform in his professional life, all the while his mental state degraded, around 50 years of age you could still argue with him, around 60-70 there wasn't anyone to argue with anymore, there was only a craving left.

I don't think it's just the alcohol. I presume that it concealed a psychological problem. But, I can't help thinking that if it were some other drug the person in question would have had a higher life quality. Alcohol is very punishing in all ways.

Re: Schizophrenia linked to marijuana use disorder is on the rise, study finds

#310

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Daily toker and edible eater; I’m high now. Hit the bong and a cartridge multiple times. I’ve also successfully upgraded large chunks of my employers infra code; tests green, deploys green. It’s no different than coffee to me at this point; I figured out working with those jitters and anxiety. I even saw shimmering with caffeine I’ve never seen on THC. I’m pretty sure a whole lot of the behavior is just subculture st…

Sort of sounds like me a decade ago. If you find yourself still doing the same job in a decade, I think you'll know why. Tech jobs are very compatible with weed. The sort of tactical, short term thinking you need to apply current knowledge to problems works well. It's great for crafting clever, short-term solutions and hacking your way through things. If that's all you ever want to be, smoke weed everyday man, why no…

> It really sucks when mid-life comes and you realize your skills won't carry you another 20 years, or that there's a whole generation of kids coming to either push you up the corporate ladder or push you out on the streets.

Surely we all see that happen to most people, including non-users?

I think you are creating a narrative about pot use, and you are ignoring correlation.

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