See how marijuana helps depression.Depression is a common problem for many people, including me.
I’ve studied marijuana and depression for years, mainly because I use marijuana to battle depression.
The first thing you need to know is that depression isn’t just feeling sad when something bad happens.
It’s more persistent, chronic, and life-changing than that.
It’s like an illness that comes over you and won’t let go.
The psychiatric profession, which I don’t fully trust, stipulates a formal list of depression symptoms.
They say that if a person is to be classified as officially, clinically depressed, at least five of these following nine symptoms must be present in his or her life nearly every day:
1. Depressed mood or irritable most of the day, nearly every day, as indicated by either subjective report or observation made by others.
2. Decreased interest in or pleasure in most activities, most of each day.
3. Significant weight change or change in appetite.
4. Insomnia, or too sleepy.
5. Too hyperactive/wired, or not active enough.
6. Constant fatigue and very low energy.
7. Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt.
8. Diminished ability to think and concentrate.
9. Constant thoughts of death or suicide; making a suicide plan.
10. Sad mood or a loss of interest in or pleasure in daily activities for more than two weeks.
11. Impaired function at work, with friends and family, or emotionally.
As you can see, depression is more than temporary, natural sadness from unpleasant life events such as the death of a loved one, a relationship break-up, a severe injury, a marijuana grow room failure, getting busted, or a job loss.
Does Cannabis Cure or Cause Depression?
The controversy about marijuana and depression is about whether cannabis causes depression, cures it, or both.
I’d say that for me, it’s both.
Sometimes if I use a very powerful cannabis strain or a concentrate several days in a row and then suddenly stop getting high, I feel low energy, loss of interest in regular activities, inability to sleep or sleeping too much, loss of appetite, poor concentration, and irritability.
Some psychiatrists would tell you that this might be depression and another alleged psychiatric condition called “cannabis withdrawal syndrome.”
I experienced depression long before I started using marijuana.
In fact, depression is one reason I started using marijuana.
So if someone tells you marijuana is the sole cause of your depression, realize that depression comes from a variety of causes.
Many psychiatrists say marijuana and depression are linked.
They want you to use prescription anti-depressants instead of marijuana.
I’ve tried the five newest pharmaceutical anti-depressants.
They all made me feel worse rather than better, with severe side-effects.
Big Pharma uses paid-off scientists and bogus advertising, just like Monsanto and other corporations who do bad things for profits.
If you decide to use marijuana to fight depression, the hard part is finding the right strains, dosages, and methods of use.
Marijuana growers can select and grow strains, and breed customized strains, that work best to fight depression.
Remember that cannabis affects each of us differently.
I avoid Indicas and whole flower cannabis, especially late-harvest buds, because they tend to depress me.
I favor pure Sativa, dry sift, or tinctures, high in THC and low in CBD and CBN.
I limit myself to getting high only 1-3 times per week, and I make getting high a special occasion rather than something routine.
There are other ways to fight depression too:
- Exercise, especially outdoors, and especially team sports such as soccer, baseball, football and volleyball, or at least interactive sports like tennis. The combination of socializing and exercise doubles the value.
- Be with good, healthy, positive people you enjoy, in person.
- Yoga, meditation, singing, Pilates.
- Volunteer helping people, the environment, or animals.
- Talk to a trained counselor or spiritual advisor.
- Adopt a healthy, plant-based diet. Avoid alcohol, pharmaceuticals, and animal-derived foods.
- Enroll in school or otherwise activate progressive goals that lead towards higher income and other success.
- Build a romantic relationship.
- Get a massage. Touch therapy is powerful. Being touch-deprived can cause depression.
- Spend more time in your marijuana garden, and try new methods of growing, new strains.
- Find a productive hobby, such as playing music, making things, fixing things.
- Get off the computer and other electronics and engage the REAL world.
- Increase your motivation for happiness by reading these articles.
Most of the time, marijuana puts a smile on my face when just a few minutes before, tears were running down my face.
It also helps me look inside myself to identify what’s troubling me, and what I can change.
When I get high and use my high to examine my thoughts and feelings, I realize my depression comes from:
- Social isolation
- Unhappy with my job or financial situation
- Getting high too often or not often enough
- Lack of strenuous exercise
- Loneliness, not having a lover
- Ignoring family responsibilities, which creates guilt
Your depression could be similar to mine, or come from a totally different place.
Big Pharma wants you to believe depression is caused by your genetics or a chemical imbalance in the brain, but it’s a lot more complicated than that.
When you watch the videos herein about marijuana and depression, you’ll see what I mean.
The main things to know are that cannabis may help you with your depression and you can feel better by changing your life, not just your brain chemistry.
