Drugs And Depression
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» nothingnopenope replied on Tue Nov 11, 2003 @ 5:40pm |
 Coolness: 201915 | Do you think there is a correlation between drugs and depression/suicide?
discuss... |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Screwhead replied on Tue Nov 11, 2003 @ 5:45pm |
 Coolness: 686280 | I think it's more a corelation between drugs bringing out latent psychological problems that haven't manifested yet. Any "normal" person can handle a week-long depression, we all have our ups and downs. But the people who have a latent case of depression/Bipolar/schizophrenic/etc. have a better chance of having it manifest and it hitting them harder than it would have if it wasn't for the drugs.
I for one am spending WAY more time depressed when I'm sober than when I'm not, and this is also going back before I started drugs (including my ephedrin addiction). |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» nothingnopenope replied on Tue Nov 11, 2003 @ 5:51pm |
| Coolness: 201915 | that makes sense.. being sober forces you to face your problems more.. but it also gives you the oppertunity to correct them... |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Screwhead replied on Tue Nov 11, 2003 @ 6:00pm |
| Coolness: 686280 | Yeah, but sometimes correcting problems can lead to more stress, pressure and depression that you didn't want to face to begin with. It's like prolonging one problem to avoid another. Sooner or later you need to get away from the problems to get a chance to "heal" a little, even if it IS for just 3-8 hours. A little bit of feeling better can make a WORLD of diffrence on someone's mental health. |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» hayley replied on Tue Nov 11, 2003 @ 7:18pm |
 Coolness: 83335 | and often drug habits are started in relation to an existing depression. The drugs are consumed with intent to medicate the feelings of pain , sadness, anger etc... |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» wisp replied on Tue Nov 11, 2003 @ 8:09pm |
 Coolness: 98010 | yes. |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» daFTWin replied on Tue Nov 11, 2003 @ 8:33pm |
 Coolness: 277125 | I agree with hayley..
Im not saying it as an excuse but its a reason. |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» kitkat replied on Tue Nov 11, 2003 @ 8:46pm |
 Coolness: 71940 | in my case...i had far more problems with depression/suicidal thoughts/schizophrenic tendencies before i ever touched drugs of any sort than i do now. dunno if theyre connected but in any case drugs have not made me worse. |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» hayley replied on Tue Nov 11, 2003 @ 9:01pm |
| Coolness: 83335 | same here...drugs actually helped me face the problems i was initially trying to escape. The contrast between reality and the artifice of a drug world allows you to see things much differently...drugs made me feel less vulnerable, empowering me with the ability to deal with life. |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» nothingnopenope replied on Wed Nov 12, 2003 @ 12:52am |
| Coolness: 201915 | I think drugs is just one more problem people add to an already problamic life...
It's bad enough being depressed or anxious or whatever I deal with that all the time.. but if I was addicted to something I would have one more thing to be stressed or depressed about.. Everytime I was down and I went on a self-destrutive drinking binge or something I just felt a hell of a lot worse the next 3 days... Maybe I felt better for 6 hours but is 3 days or worse pain worth 6 hours of a numb mind and spirit? I think a lot of people are not being honest with themselves... |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» PoiSoNeD_CaNdY replied on Wed Nov 12, 2003 @ 12:53am |
 Coolness: 92380 | Its very important to distinguish between correlation and causality. I have no doubt whatsoever that if you compare a drug-using group to a control group, the drug-using group will have a higher incidence of depression. So yes, drug use and depression are correlated. But does that prove that drug use causes depression? Not neccesarily.
Let's take a hypothetical example: body piercings and teenage sex. If you compare teenage girls that have piercings to those who don't, you'll probably find that those who have piercings have sex at an earlier age than those who don't. So, once again, body piercings and teenage sex are correlated. But is it the piercing that is CAUSING the girl to have sex? Of course not. Getting back to the issue of drug use and depression, there are a number of hypothetical explanations for why they are correlated: 1. Drugs affect the brain chemistry in such a way that raises the risk of depression. Hence, drug use cause depression. 2. People who are depressed are more likely to do whatever it takes to feel better, including taking drugs. Hence, depression causes drug use. 3. Since drug use is not accepted by most of society, most drug users tend to be noncomformists to various degrees. Noncomformists are shunned by society, thus resulting in depression. Hence, being a noncomformist causes BOTH drug use AND depression. What I am trying to express here is that just because two variables (in this case, drug use and depression) co-relate does not indicate which variable causes the other, or whether both are a result of a third variable. In order to establish if drug use actually causes depression, we have to understand the process by which drugs affect the brain and whether these changes are likely to lead in depression. Speaking of which, this is very strong evidence that MDMA in particular can cause depression when it is abused. That is because MDMA causes the release of large amounts of serontonin, and it takes the brain a long time to produce more serontonin. Since serontonin is the chemical which regulates happiness, and since too much MDMA can result in lower than normal levels of serontonin in the brain (in addition to the downgrade of serontonin receptors), there is ample reason to beleive too much MDMA can cause depression. (If you want to learn more about this, check out the slideshow at [ www.dancesafe.org ] However MDMA users can take simple steps to reduce the risk of depression: 1. Wait a reasonable period of time (2-6 weeks) between MDMA doses to allow your brain to recover its serontonin levels, and 2. Supplement your diet with 5-htp (available in pharmacies and health food stores) which is the chemical precursor to serontonin. In other words, taking 5-htp allows your brain to recover to its normal level of serontonin much faster after taking MDMA. |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» nothingnopenope replied on Wed Nov 12, 2003 @ 1:33am |
| Coolness: 201915 | yeah there is always the cause and effect question with it.. but I can say from experience if you are already depressed it isn't a good idea to add an extra stressor into your life...
One of my psychology teachers once mentioned she observed that there was a rise in teenage depression which followed the rise in the content of THC in marijuana ... |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Mali replied on Wed Nov 12, 2003 @ 8:24am |
 Coolness: 202805 | I know some people that did drigs cause they were depressed.. it helped sometimes and other times it made things worst..
I also know others that were very happy outgoing people but now seem all depressed because of drugs |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» PoiSoNeD_CaNdY replied on Wed Nov 12, 2003 @ 8:51am |
| Coolness: 92380 | Because recreational drugs are so stigmatized in our society, taking drugs becomes a lifestyle rather then just a chemical. You don't just take drugs, you BECOME what they embody. |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» nothingnopenope replied on Wed Nov 12, 2003 @ 1:58pm |
| Coolness: 201915 | Alchohol or marijuana is not very stigmatized
MDMA is not very stigmatized among young people anymore Only the hard shit that sucks all your money away is really stigmatized |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» kitkat replied on Wed Nov 12, 2003 @ 9:43pm |
| Coolness: 71940 | and its amazing HOW stigmatized those drugs are |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» nothingnopenope replied on Wed Nov 12, 2003 @ 9:46pm |
| Coolness: 201915 | yeah.
there are good reasons in fact. People aren't too keen on watching others die, or steal or do desperate things to support their habit |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» PaT_ replied on Wed Nov 12, 2003 @ 10:20pm |
| Coolness: 116985 | Yes.
and on another note. scott, what does watching someone die have to do with drugs and the relation to depression. discuss. and what does robbing someone in order to support a habit have to do with the correlaition of drugs making you depressed? discuss. is this thread really about drugs and the correation to depression or is it about something else? |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» nothingnopenope replied on Wed Nov 12, 2003 @ 10:27pm |
| Coolness: 201915 | it's a response to a statement
she asked why harder drugs are stigmatized so badly, I gave my take on the subject. Back to the topic What you said could have a lot to do with depression, in fact.. The depression of people's friends or parents from seeing someone's life go through hell because of a drug addiction, the depression of friends from being backstabbed for a substance, the depression of people when they find out someone is dead because they OD'd... |
| Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» G__ replied on Wed Nov 12, 2003 @ 11:42pm |
| Coolness: 142055 | i, myself, think that if you need to use a drug to help you deal with a problem (don't get smart alec with me, i'm talkin bout illegals here) then it's something that needs to be righted...
using drugs to overcome personal problems isn't a solution, it's a problem taking care of a problem is the best thing for you, even if it's something that is daunting and not on your #1 things to do list but...hypocrically drugs can help from time to time |
Drugs And Depression
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