Do you think that i'm depressed?!

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

First and foremost, yes -- it sounds like you have depression. I think you should pursue therapy. Secondly, you have nothing to worry about in regards to the weed. You have not done any permanent damage to your brain or health. However, it may have negatively affected your depression. Weed affects everyone differently; some find that it hurts depression, while others (like myself) find that it's an excellent aid. (It lowers blood pressure as well as stress.) It seems you've discovered that weed is not the coping mechanism for you, and that just means that you need to stop smoking it. But, no -- you have not permanently harmed your brain.



"There is no convincing scientific evidence that marijuana causes psychological damage or mental illness in either teenagers or adults. Some marijuana users experience psychological distress following marijuana ingestion, which may include feelings of panic, anxiety, and paranoia. Such experiences can be frightening, but the effects are temporary. With very large doses, marijuana can cause temporary toxic psychosis. This occurs rarely, and almost always when marijuana is eaten rather than smoked. Marijuana does not cause profound changes in people's behavior."

?Iverson, Leslie. “Long-term effects of exposure to cannabis.” Current Opinion in Pharmacology 5(2005): 69-72.
?Weiser and Noy. “Interpreting the association between cannabis use and increased risk of schizophrenia.” Dialogues in Clincal Neuroscience 1(2005): 81-85.
?"Cannabis use will impair but not damage mental health." London Telegraph. 23 January 2006.
?Andreasson, S. et al. “Cannabis and Schizophrenia: A Longitudinal study of Swedish Conscripts,” The Lancet 2 (1987): 1483-86.
?Degenhardt, Louisa, Wayne Hall and Michael Lynskey. “Testing hypotheses about the relationship between cannabis use and psychosis,” Drug and Alcohol Dependence 71 (2003): 42-4.


"None of the medical tests currently used to detect brain damage in humans have found harm from marijuana, even from long term high-dose use. The claim that marijuana kills brain cells is based on a speculative report dating back a quarter of a century that has never been supported by any scientific study."

?Heath, R.G., et al. “Cannabis Sativa: Effects on Brain Function and Ultrastructure in Rhesus Monkeys.” Biological Psychiatry 15 (1980): 657-690.
?Ali, S.F., et al. “Chronic Marijuana Smoke Exposure in the Rhesus Monkey IV: Neurochemical Effects and Comparison to Acute and Chronic Exposure to Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in Rats.” Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior 40 (1991): 677-82.


"Marijuana produces immediate, temporary changes in thoughts, perceptions, and information processing. The cognitive process most clearly affected by marijuana is short-term memory. In laboratory studies, subjects under the influence of marijuana have no trouble remembering things they learned previously. However, they display diminished capacity to learn and recall new information. This diminishment only lasts for the duration of the intoxication. There is no convincing evidence that heavy long-term marijuana use permanently impairs memory or other cognitive functions."

?Wetzel, C.D. et al., “Remote Memory During Marijuana Intoxication,” Psychopharmacology 76 (1982): 278-81.
?Deadwyler, S.A. et al., “The Effects of Delta-9-THC on Mechanisms of Learning and Memory.” Neurobiology of Drug Abuse: Learning and Memory. Ed. L. Erinoff. Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse 1990. 79-83.
?Block, R.I. et al., “Acute Effects of Marijuana on Cognition: Relationships to Chronic Effects and Smoking Techniques.” Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior 43 (1992): 907-917.

http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/fact…

I've also been a daily pot-smoker for years, and I'm in excellent health physically and mentally (excluding the depression, but that set in well before I began using marijuana).

I've never smoked pot,but everything else you mentioned matches what I have been going through.I never used to be like this.It may be onset of depression or mild sociopathy.But I would check into it,just to make sure.

only you can tell if you are depressed or not, and only you can help yourself :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlBiLNN1N…

the first time i started smoking pot i had the exact same reaction. you are doing your brain harm by smoking weed. stop smoking weed and eventually this will go away.

You didn't give the most important information of all. Are you happy? If yes, then you are not depressed. If you're not sure, then you are not depressed. If no, then you may or may not be depressed. Let's say the answer is no. How unhappy are you? Overeating can be a symptom of depression, as well as a loss of appetite. Smoking pot is a stupid thing to do whether or not it's out of tin foil. (I'm not judging you; you weren't sure if it makes a difference, and I'm telling you that it doesn't.) However, it does not mean that you are depressed. What you have to do is figure out how (un)happy you are. On a scale of one to ten (one being incredibly depressed/miserable, five being neutral, and ten being ecstatic), rate how you felt every day last week. Then do it for this week. If you can go further back, say, two weeks ago, do so. If you are usually 5+, you're fine. If you find that most days are very low (1-3), you are most likely depressed. Obviously, some days are going to be better/worse than others. If you can figure out how often you're unhappy (and there is a difference between not being happy and being UNhappy) and how miserable you are, you'll get a better idea. If you honestly don't know if you're unhappy or not, you are not happy, but you're not depressed. No matter what, you should seriously consider seeing a psychologist. I understand why you would be reluctant to do so, but I know from experience that it can be immensely helpful.
Try to do something just for you. The fact that you are asking this question means that you are unsatisfied with your life.
Smoking pot did not mess up your brain, and the fact that you smoked pot in the first place means that you were not as smart as you believed. I'm sure you are very intelligent, but that was a poor choice, especially since you've seen first-hand what addiction can do to people. Your mother, by the way, will always be an alcoholic. If an alcoholic gets sober, he or she becomes a recovering alcoholic. She will never be able to drink again. You should know that 90% of alcoholics relapse at least one time in the four years after quitting drinking. Your mother really needs your support, and even if she does relapse, with help, she will be able to quit for good.
If you are unhappy with your weight, you need to deal with it an a healthy way. Exercise, eat right, and don't snack just because you're bored.
What do you do for fun? Pick an activity. It could be in an organized setting, or just on your own. You could take up pottery or bowling or anything. Just don't watch television - it doesn't fill the void. Try reading. Honestly. It'll make you feel smarter, as it sounds like you miss that. Reading allows you to escape your life in a healthy way.
Make a list of 100 things that make you happy. Make a list of twenty things you like about yourself. Make a list of five people you love.