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pot causing depression?

Depression basics

All emotions are signals to yourself, energetically notifying yourself of significant events. Depression is also a signal and it is best regarded as just a signal. If you tell yourself, "I feel depression, therefore I am depressed," you identify with that emotion and hold it to you as if it where a part of your being. But it is not, depression is only a signal from your being to your awareness telling you that you are not doing something that you truely want. The emotion of depression shows up when you are basicly denying yourself a choice. You get depressed when you inhibit your own free will: it is as if your soul cries as you restrict its freedom.

When you feel the emotion of depression, do not hold to it. Recognize the signal and creativly explore your own being. Feel what is assosiated with the depression and ask yourself what freedom you are denying yourself.

When a close friend dies, you mourn and get depressed because you feel that you will never contact that person again. You believe that you will never see this friend again, that all hope is lost and they are now non-exsistant. You tell yourself all this when deep down your own being knows that it stays in contact with this friend all the time, that the friend is not non-exsistant and that death is not the end of life. Your being knows these inner truths, yet you deny them and your being crys out to you that you need not deny your own freedom.

This is just one, highly relatable example, though. There are many ways you can deny yourself freedom, just as many as there are people. So the reason for the signal of depression can vary alot.

Like I said, recognize the depression as a signal, don't tie yourself to it. It is perfectly fine to recognize that you are limiting yourself and be in a happy mood too. There is really no reason to hold on to the the signal of depression unless you don't recognize it as what it is (just a signal).

This had nothing to do with pot, but I thought it might be significant.
Cheers...
-Zoad
 
simple - pot gives depression once the initial high is gone, in the form of lazyness, short temper, bordem, and a general low feeling..

it can be good if your feeling really low, and you toke, it can "releave" your mood, but the more you smoke it the more of a urge to get that initial high, and the worse you feel afterwards!

so yes pot can help depression in moderate use, but it can also lead, cause depression...

ive had many interesting experiences with pot and depression and infact have gone many more ways about it and have some interesting results...

but because i cannot claim scientific facts etc, people would assume its all placebo's on my part...

but pot is good, but it is also eevil, believe me!
 
Ya it causes depression especially when the high is gone.
I'll get pissed sometimes when my friends don't have weed and i have to smoke them, because i only get a little stoned and it seems like a waste.
However we've all at times be there when the wells run dry and you gotta scavenge
 
If there is a problem in my life and I smoke weed it makes the problem twice as bad.

like when me and girlfriend get in a fight. I'm like ill just go get high and then i get depressed. I know it will happen but i think it will work and it never does.
 
Loki i was talking about a different depression. One that i noticed while high but persisted even when i was'nt.
ps... nice avatar
 
BilZ0r said:
Cannabis can lead to depression.
Cannabis can help depression.

It's as simple as that. If it's giving you depression; STOP SMOKING IT!
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Its not that easy, and marijuana has led to my depression and then later helped my derpression. Its not just that easy. Depression is very different and can be different for everyone.

And i wish i could stop smoking weed, but i cant, which is sad. :(
 
but you can - dont say you cant, try telling some one with an opiate addiction that you cant quit weed, they'll pretty much laugh - cannabis is all about the mind and been able to control it - go on holiday in the middle east for a few weeks - perhaps dubai. perhaps somewhere where weed is even more less avaible - then tell me you cant quit weed
 
You are never a victim of yourself and I emphasize this. Depression is a signal that there is a lingering problem within your thoughts that you have long sought to clear up. Specifically, depression signals your own denial of choice: this is the lingering problem. When you are depressed, you are in some way limiting your own boundless freedom of expression. When you are depressed, you are holding yourself back, so to speak. Again I say that you are not a victim of yourself. Think of depression as a debugger for your mind. Learn to use it!
like when me and girlfriend get in a fight. I'm like ill just go get high and then i get depressed. I know it will happen but i think it will work and it never does.
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Thank you for this example. In this example, the most apparent and outright limitation that this individual has imposed upon himself was that of keeping himself from solving the underlying problem which originally caused the depression. In a manner of speaking, he ran away from it, or tried to hide from it through pot. But this only amplified the effect. Although this secondary effect was and is significant, it is secondary to the primary cause of the depression which is related to his relationship.

Now, I am in no position to critique this individual's realtionship because I don't know the details, but one common case is that of victimhood:
In a relationship, an individual may feel victim to the other. This is not nessesarely phyical victimhood (such as physical abuse) but also covers a sort of mental victimhood. The individual may feel like they are being taken advantage of or that the other person somehow has the upperhand in the relationship. Now, this springs about depression because there are really no victims here. Each individual has an infinite number of choices that they may select from, BUT they may deny themselves those choices thinking that there is no other route to take. Thus they react to thier inner knowledge, knowing good and well that there is ALWAYS a choice, that YOU are the only one in charge of your being. You never have to bend to another individual if you don't want to, and they should never expect you to bend for them. This may seem self-centered, but victimhood in its very nature is the result of lagging personal responcibility for your own choices. Take action for you and for no other, yet do not expect to take action upon another or expect another to take action for you. YOU POWER YOURSELF.

Like I said, you are not a victim of yourself, instead you are constantly trying to help yourself be more efficient in thought. You are constantly progressing, even when you think that everything is going wrong.

-Zoad
 
Zoad, your slightly parochial way of putting it has some truth. Depression is a signal, one that evolution has creaed for some good, BUT, that is assuming that your not altering your brain with drugs. As soon as you do that you can no longer rely on the innate properties of the brain. There are plenty of drugs which definatly cause depression, if you take them, is this depression a signal? No, well its a signal you took dysphoric drugs, but that's all.

Hence, you can't use this arguement in this condition.
 
"Parochial", good word BitZ0r :)
Actually, this would incorrectly identify my beliefs. You may consider me athiest, or you may consider me religious. In actuality I hold a belief system which allows me to flexibly interpret all belief systems. In my beliefs, science is considered yet another system of beliefs, another doctrine, another religion. It would be difficult for me to explain everything here, but I could say that I believe in God, or I could say that he doesn't exsist, depending upon who I am conversing with and what beliefs they align with. It is my belief, my knowing, that beliefs in themselves create our reality. Adhearing to one set of beleifs predetermines how you percieve reality and thus what is created. If you align with science, then you may know that quantum physics indirectly supports this by theorizing that the observer manifests what is observed. You may translate this through religions also and with less distortion through Buddism or Wicca than through Christianity or Islam. There is a set of basic Truths that I align with and regard them as the most basic and all-encompassing truths that one may arrive at when considering every aspect of everything.
If you really want to know more, go HERE and explore the definitions and transcripts.

As far as science goes, in my opinion, people align much too strongly, assuming that whatever a scientist arrives at through studies or an equation must be true. Science is usefull, yes, but only if you want to interpret reality, and this holds true for other religions also. The only differences between any belief systems is how accurate thier interpretation is. In my opinion, science hasn't gotter much further than any other classic religion.

Sorry guys, this is out of place, but I had to clearify that.
 
If there is a problem in my life and I smoke weed it makes the problem twice as bad.

like when me and girlfriend get in a fight. I'm like ill just go get high and then i get depressed. I know it will happen but i think it will work and it never does.

zoad said:


Thank you for this example. In this example, the most apparent and outright limitation that this individual has imposed upon himself was that of keeping himself from solving the underlying problem which originally caused the depression. In a manner of speaking, he ran away from it, or tried to hide from it through pot. But this only amplified the effect. Although this secondary effect was and is significant, it is secondary to the primary cause of the depression which is related to his relationship.




As far as science goes, in my opinion, people align much too strongly, assuming that whatever a scientist arrives at through studies or an equation must be true. Science is usefull, yes, but only if you want to interpret reality, and this holds true for other religions also. The only differences between any belief systems is how accurate thier interpretation is. In my opinion, science hasn't gotter much further than any other classic religion.
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Initially, he's already feeling down. By smoking a joint, he's trying to get away from the feeling of being down. He didn't run away from it. Even if he didn't smoke, he'd still feel down. And I agree that it amplified it, but I don't think doing drugs is a way to "run away" from things, I see much more as a way to unwind.


And maybe there us no further than what we know ^^ It's all a giant mind fuck :)
 
he's trying to get away from the feeling of being down. He didn't run away from it.
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By "it", are you are meaning "being down" or the problem with the relationship? I presume you meant the relationship.

I did't mean that he was running or trying to get away from the problem in the relationship. He is trying to work with the relationship and is not running away from it. He is trying to dispel the depression, trying to make it go away by using the pot, but the only way you are going to get away from it is if you solve the problem which is causing it. I agree with what you said and I am sorry for the misinterpretation. When I said "he ran away from it" I was meaning "trying to get away from the feeling", "it" meaing the depression, not the situation. If he was running away from the situation, he would have broken contact with this individual.

sorry...
-Zoad
 
Aw jees, I'm sorry to hear that terekca. Oh well, whatever works in the now is thereputic, but don't be supprised if the problem happens again if you don't allow yourself to be aware of what problems you are engaging and to take responcibility for your problems, and I say this with the utmost respect and empathy. We all have our problems and consequently we all choose to learn from those problems or not. It is your choice and no other.

Good luck:\
-Zoad
 
Dj_TranceMadness said:
^^ AFter a heavy smoking binge, I do feel "toxified", sluggish and just clouded.

So i stop fer a couple weeks, then start again...

Moderation is the only key
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my thoughts exactly.. a month of daily smoking left me really really edgy in my sober state, and very lethargic. When i smoked less frequently maybe twice a week i had no problems. I think moderation really is the best approach to any substance.
 
i cant say i've ever really felt depressed smoking weed, and to some extent it actually helped me get over depression when i was younger(alcohol was one thing that actually made my depression worse!). i can see why it can be such an issue, and i know people that have split up from smoking weed excessively, but as the post above says, moderation is the key.
 
How to use weed for depression?

I met this guy who uses weed to treat his depression. I also read somewhere that smoking the right amount of weed is really important for the right results. It said that a little bit of weed would be beneficial but to much weed would have the opposite effect. Does anyone have experience with this? How much should I smoke at a time and how often should I do it? I really want this to work because it looks promising.
 
I have never heard of needing 'the right amount'. Just smoke what makes you happy man. I know i like to be buzzed constantly and that really helps my depression. But i have a friend who borderline trips on weed for depression. Just smoke what you feel comftorable with.
 
http://digitaljournal.com/article/242910
October 25, 2007

Marijuana Alleviates Depression in Small Doses, But Too Much Pot Could Do Opposite
Smoking a joint might act as an anti-depressant, but smoking five joints could be harmful. A McGill University study has found small doses of marijuana can raise serotonin levels, while too much of the plant can drop serotonin levels dramatically.
Digital Journal — Scientists at Montreal’s McGill University discovered that low levels of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, increases serotonin levels in lab rats. Depression sufferers are found to have low levels of serotonin, the neurotransmitter that floods the brain with feeling of happiness and satisfaction.
The press release goes into further detail about the study’s conclusion:

The anti-depressant and intoxicating effects of cannabis are due to its chemical similarity to natural substances in the brain known as ‘endo-cannabinoids,’ which are released under conditions of high stress or pain… . This study demonstrates for the first time that these receptors have a direct effect on the cells producing serotonin.

But don’t substitute a spliff for Prozac just yet. Lead researcher Dr. Gabriella Gobbi found that high doses of THC can worsen the effects of depression and other psychological ailments. She explains:

Low doses had a potent anti-depressant effect, but when we increased the dose, the serotonin in the rats' brains actually dropped below the level of those in the control group. So we actually demonstrated a double effect: At low doses it increases serotonin, but at higher doses the effect is devastating, completely reversed.

The McGill researchers are concerned that marijuana smokers may not be able to judge their dosage amounts properly. They claim that smoking joints doesn’t offer the best quantitative measure of marijuana dosage. Instead, Dr. Gobbi and her colleagues are focusing their research on a new type of drug which enhances the effects of the brain’s natural endo-cannabinoids.

Read more: http://digitaljournal.com/article/242910#ixzz1Z6Z1Ekr0
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^ There's the article. I haven't really tried it myself, but personally the frequency of use (which is infrequent) matters more to me than the quantity. Try small tokes and see how it works. Pay attention to how your mind reacts, only you can know if it's right for you.
 
Instead, Dr. Gobbi and her colleagues are focusing their research on a new type of drug which enhances the effects of the brain’s natural endo-cannabinoids
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Not to go too far off topic, but am I the only one who finds this particularly interesting?
 
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