A recent study using MRI brain imaging adds more weight to the argument that heavy marijuana use in adolescence significantly increases the probability of developing schizophrenia.
An older study showed those who heavily use marijuana at age 18 were 600% more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia over the next 15 years than those who did not use it.
Several leading researchers in this field estimate that between 8-13% of all cases of schizophrenia are linked to marijuana use during teen years.
[...] Another post of mine that talks about how marijuana can do much more harm to the teenage brain than the adult brain [...]
i can attest first hand that this is 100%true. i smoked weed nearly everyday for 3 years, starting when i was 19. when i was 22 i was diagnosed with the disease. the symtoms came on slowly, usually when i was high–i attributed them simply to a ‘bad trip’, and continued smoking regularly… soon, one bad trip in ten became one in five, then 4 in five, until i was freaking out even when i wasnt high. i could not seperate what was in my head from reality. a complete mental breakdown follwed, and i spent the next 11 days in the hospital. my brain was absolutely fried.
recovery was a long and difficult process. even after getting out of the hospital and talking to doctors, and psychiatrists, and other various professionals, i still continued to smoke a bowl now and again, (now try to tell me that marijuana is not addictive) and when i did, extreme paranoia and delusion often swept over me.
it has been six years now since these events, and i am proud to say that i have made a full and complete recovery. i am aware that even the slightest amount of THC will have a very adverse effect on my mind. its kinda weird actually, its like my brain just lets it take over, and i lose control of it completely. needless to say, the drug is no longer a part of my life, and that has made all the difference…
seriously kiddies, just say no!
Great blog out there..Keep it up..God bless..=)
Well I can agree witth you completly man. I started smoking weed when I was 15 for almost every day for 3 years, and like you said symptoms came on slowly. I would be thinking a lot about other people when high. For ex when I would see a good car I would be thinking about it and how the guy who was driving it is not better then me and that I can have that car, then I would be thinking and comparing my father to some rich friends father, and trying to make my father better and more capabel then theirs, until I complelty lost my mind. But unlike you ( lucky bastatrd :)just jokking) this living hell just started like a month ago, and I have a long way to recover. And exactly like you said when I would light a joint I would get extreme paranoia, and anxiety attacks. Now I don’t smoke it for like 18 days and I feel a bit better but still there is a long way to recover if I ever recover. So kids just don’t smoke that shit cause it can destroy your lifes and the worst thing is that you wan’t see it coming but it will just happen. So I strongly advise you not to smoke that crap. I always thought if I only smoke weed and I never try anything else I would be okay, but I really screwed myself.
I’ve actually heard of this a few times and most recently had a friend’s sister go into some kind of insane panick attack mode after smoking some marijuana. I don’t think she has been diagnosed with Schizophrenia yet but she has definitely developed some form of extreme anxiety issue ever since she smoked pot.
I on the other hand have smoked pot quite a few times in my life and the worst side effect I’ve encountered is severe bronchitous on more than one occassion. Hopefully I’m one of the lucky marijuana smokers out there.
There are a lot of people who smoke marijuana and those diagnosed with Schizophrenia may just happen to be one of those marijuana users.
This study shows nothing conclusive enough to say that “Marijuana causes Schizophrenia.”
To even say that this study is “100% true” is absurd.
What about doing a different study. Like lets say, how many people diagnosed with Schizophrenia have abused Alcohol? Or Smoke cigarettes? I’m pretty sure you can come up with a higher percentage or around the same.
Some people have to use their heads when looking at these type of studies.
Also, ask yourself what percentage of teens that have heavily used Marijuana had no signs of Schizophrenia at all?
i to have schizophrenia because of marijuana and haven’t told them that was the reason. i would hear the voices when i was high but thought i was just lunchin and the next day wouldn’t think nothin of it (stupid huh). then one day i just started getting real paranoid one day and then started to hear the voices. it has been 4 years and i just learned that there is no cure, telling me that made me think i didn’t have a chance(damn doctors).But, i learned that u can recover from it; what steps did u take to recover from this, and do u think telling them the cause would help my situation. They know about what triggered it but they don’t know the whole truth. please help me and let me know what u think. thanks
my email for the comment above is nebiou24@yahoo.com