studies link marijuana use and mental illness

[Anonymous]

Several studies have linked marijuana use to increased risk for mental illnesses, including psychosis (schizophrenia), depression, and anxiety, but whether and to what extent it actually causes these conditions is not always easy to determine.19 The amount of drug used, the age at first use, and genetic vulnerability have all been shown to influence this relationship. The strongest evidence to date concerns the link between marijuana use and psychotic disorders in those with a preexisting genetic or other vulnerability.42 Recent research (see AKT1 Gene Variations and Psychosis) has found that marijuana users who carry a specific variant of the AKT1 gene, which codes for an enzyme that affects dopamine signaling in the striatum, are at increased risk of developing psychosis. The striatum is an area of the brain that becomes activated and flooded with dopamine when certain stimuli are present. One study found that the risk for those with this variant was seven times higher for daily marijuana users compared with infrequent- or non-users.43

[RW]

So we are talking pre-existing conditions.  This usually is relevant to teens.

[Anonymous]

So we are talking pre-existing conditions.  This usually is relevant to teens.

When I googled it, I also found this RW..



Scandinavian studies that show people who use cannabis habitually have three times the risk of acquiring a psychosis or a schizophreniform disorder

[RW]

And I recently read that was bullshit Fash.

[Anonymous]

And I recently read that was bullshit Fash.

I am not a health care professional, so all I can share is what I have read.

[RW]

Read the other side too :)

[Anonymous]

Read the other side too :)

Maybe I will when I have the chance..



It would not surprise me if long term marijuana usage did increase the risk of psychosis.

[RW]

Peer reviewed studies out of Harvard are claiming no links to schizophrenia and marijuana use.  Most studies dealing with psychosis involve teenage use.

[keeper]

Read the other side too :)

Maybe I will when I have the chance..



It would not surprise me if long term marijuana usage did increase the risk of psychosis.

Until you experience the pain some people have nothing else matters.



And yes i speak from experience.

[Anonymous]

So we are talking pre-existing conditions.  This usually is relevant to teens.

When I googled it, I also found this RW..



Scandinavian studies that show people who use cannabis habitually have three times the risk of acquiring a psychosis or a schizophreniform disorder

You seem to assume everyone who enjoys a sip of mine is a lush and everyone who takes an occasional toke is chronic. Nothing could be further from the truth. The key to handling either is moderation.

[Anonymous]

It is true that adolescent usage of marijuana is the most dangerous.



Scientists have confirmed the long-held suspicion that frequent heavy marijuana use damages the brain's memory and learning capacity.  



Australian researchers have showed for the first time that the earlier people start their marijuana habit, the worse the brain damage.



"Our results suggest that long-term cannabis use is hazardous to white matter in the developing brain.  This was especially true for those who had started in adolescence, as we know the brain is still developing during this time," Lead researcher Dr. Marc Seal, from Melbourne's Murdoch Children's Research Institute said in a university release.



Scientists from MCRI, Melbourne University and Wollongong University compared MRI scans of the brain for 59 people who had been using marijuana for an average of 15 years to 33 healthy people who had never used the drug.



After measuring changes to the volume, strength and integrity of white matter in the brains of all participants, researchers found that long-term heavy cannabis users had disruptions in their white matter fibers.



The brain's white matter is responsible for information passed between different areas of grey matter within the nervous system, and unlike grey matter, which are the brain's thinking areas that peaks at age eight, white matter continues to develop as people age.



Seal and his team found that there was more than 80 percent reduction of white matter in the brains of users.



Additionally, researchers found that the average age of participants in the study started using cannabis when they were 16 years old, participants who started using the drug at a younger age like 10 or 11 had even more severe brain damage.



"This is the first study to demonstrate the age at which regular cannabis use begins is a key factor in determining the severity of the brain damage," Seal said, according to AAP.



He explained that marijuana interferes with naturally occurring cannabinoid receptors in the brain and by introducing external cannabinoids into a person's system it stops their white matter from maturing.



Researchers linked the significant changes in the white matter in the brain's hippocampus and commissural fibers, suggesting that long-term marijuana use may lead to memory impairment and deficits in learning and concentration ability.



"These people can have trouble learning new things and they are going to have trouble remembering things," Seal said.



"We don't know if the changes are irreversible but we do know that these changes are quite significant," he added.



Researchers said that the findings could not be explained by recreational drug and alcohol use. Researchers will monitor participants for the next two years to detect any further changes.



The latest findings add to results from previous smaller studies that showed that the brain's memory center, the hippocampus, shrunk in heavy marijuana users.

[Annie]

So we are talking pre-existing conditions.  This usually is relevant to teens.

When I googled it, I also found this RW..



Scandinavian studies that show people who use cannabis habitually have three times the risk of acquiring a psychosis or a schizophreniform disorder

You seem to assume everyone who enjoys a sip of mine is a lush and everyone who takes an occasional toke is chronic. Nothing could be further from the truth. The key to handling either is moderation.

Moderation is the key. And not operating any heavy equipment.

[Anonymous]

Moderation is the key. And not operating any heavy equipment.

I don't smoke myself, but I know there are lots of people that can handle it without becoming chronic. This does not even take into consideration those that use pot for medicinal purposes.

[Anonymous]

Moderation is the key. And not operating any heavy equipment.

I don't smoke myself, but I know there are lots of people that can handle it without becoming chronic. This does not even take into consideration those that use pot for medicinal purposes.

I am not opposed to anyone using marijuana as a pain medication.

[Renee]

Moderation is the key. And not operating any heavy equipment.

I don't smoke myself, but I know there are lots of people that can handle it without becoming chronic. This does not even take into consideration those that use pot for medicinal purposes.

I am not opposed to anyone using marijuana as a pain medication.

That's a good thing because sometimes I get this big pain in my ass that I need to forget about and recently weed has become my "go to" remedy.  ac_gumpop