Does Marijuana help fight depression?

i tried smoking weed to kill myself once because i didnt want to hang myself that sounds like it hurts. i want to die peaceful so i smoke and well i woke up. wish there was a better way

depression runs in my family and although i'm pretty sure i've never been diagnosable, i have had some pretty nasty funks hit me with no warning and for no reason at all before.

not sure if cannabis helps all that much, but it's sure better than a dionysian drinking spree.

Spittn4cash said:

I dont think smoking it would help with depression, but growing mj might help. When you're high all the time you make all sorts of bad decisions.

Growing it is therapeutic and provides a creative outlet for expression. Putting a grow together gives you more pleasure than smoking it.....your first harvest is better than your first hit.

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kinda true... i enjoy waking up checking on them... give me something to do when i cant smoke lol... my timer has taken time away from me and my babies...

UncleBuck said:

depression runs in my family and although i'm pretty sure i've never been diagnosable, i have had some pretty nasty funks hit me with no warning and for no reason at all before.

not sure if cannabis helps all that much, but it's sure better than a dionysian drinking spree.

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me having been a person to deal with depression... it has made things extra funny the things i was depressed about they were less important... thing is some ppl smoke and let the high use them u gotta use ya high.... i read books... write... read the bible high... its all about what u do.. smoke and relax dont get amped up... WTBS... I HAVENT BEEN ON ANY MEDS IN 15 YRS... I'VE BEEN SMOKING REGULARLY FOR 9... LOL

Everyone has their own experience with cannabis, but personally for me I can say that cannabis does help me a lot with my depression. I don't think anyone ever truly gets over depression, they just learn to live and deal with it.

Cannabis changes with the individual i take it to slow me down and cheer me up,

I look forward to dying and sometimes pray for it,Ive been close many times and not afraid of it. Weed makes me forget for a while and life more bearable. This is a Shitty World and only getting worse!!

Total Head said:

i don't find weed helps with my depression. i'm miserable with or without it. what it does do is provide a bit of a distraction, which can be a big deal sometimes and mean nothing other times. sometimes it makes me focus too hard on how i feel. i wouldn't recommend it as a first course of action for someone with serious depression but i'd be lying if i said it doesn't make me feel less like crap sometimes in the short term. i certainly wouldn't call it a solution but it's a good distraction more than half the time for me. i'm a miserable fuck so my answer might not apply to everyone.

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Yeah, you and I, man... And I'm sure many others. It usually helps me, but as you said, it serves as a temporary distraction. I'm still a miserable fuck too. That's why I took up growing it; it's an even better distraction than smoking it.

Throughout all of my years of bullshit, unhealthy meds, and docs who don't know their ass from a hole in the ground, I have learned that the best "treatment" for depression is helping others. If you use what depression has taught you to help people, you'll make such a difference.

purpz said:

I don't think anyone ever truly gets over depression, they just learn to live and deal with it.

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I used to feel the same way but there is hope. In my case, I needed some pharmaceutical help, to change my brain chemistry. Herb has been a reliable maintenance tool.

Mr Neutron said:

I used to feel the same way but there is hope. In my case, I needed some pharmaceutical help, to change my brain chemistry. Herb has been a reliable maintenance tool.

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I also, Nortriptyline changed some chemicals around in my brain. Depression is much better now, I now I enjoy weed much much better also.

Well, there are several different types of depression and associated mental illnesses. Pot works differently than typical treatment like SSRI's. It works by stimulating the endocanibiniod system, releasing lots of feel-good nurochemicals. I understand the pharms "inhibit" or prevent the release/uptake said feel-good cheicals.
Personally, I have gone cold turkey from a fair dose of antidepressants, to an all herb approach, for Chronic major depressive disorder, in not ideal circumstances.
Life has changed: I feel more emotional, creative, more able to connect with the emotions of others, more irritable too if i havent dosed. Dosing has proven to be a pleasure and a pain. I need to smoke several times a day during high stress or gloomy days. I find having different varieties on hand helpful... Sativa tends to be uplifting for sadness, indica tends to be better for anxiety and pain from tense muscles.
I am myself again, i can laugh at jokes, cry in sadness, feel joy, connect with people and create things. Sometimes its as simple as feeling cranky then smoking a bowl in the bong and having all the "crap" lift away. Other times it's 3 bowl fulls, a lil hash, and finding a distraction if things are tough. Nothing can magically cure this type of depression, even the best ganja. It sure helps me deal with it though!
*Please note* i don't recommend anyone do what i did, everything i just shared is NOT the opinion of official mental health pros. They say canabis use causes and worsens mental illness... I STRONGLY disagree.

i definitely think there needs to be more research done concerning the chemistry and mechanisms behind mj and depression. mj is just a temporary fix, but so are the real pharmaceutical drugs. Ever since i suffered a concussion i've had bad anxiety and mild depression and what's helped me the most is seeing a neuropsychologist. i'm also taking celexa. mj definitely does distract me, but in end, that's all it is, and i have to face reality again. I like to enjoy life sober, and i think it would make me more depressed if i had go through life high in order to be happy. I think it effects people differently, but like i said in the beginning of my post, there needs to be more research done.

it does help me calm down a little and allows me to see life and situations from a different perspective, but i don't rely on it.

studies say it makes it much worse. stick to your meds, don't even drink if your that bad, feel better.

I kicked Prozac 2 weeks ago and went on pure MJ approach.. I am finally feeling like myself again.. Normal energy levels, doesn't take an hour to ejaculate, eating is normalized....still waiting on a desire to connect with others....

i find the 'right' kinds of MJ helpful, but 'right' is not easy to find
i've suffered with the depression beast many years, just part of me i guess
but i have had weed that would have me up and dancing, most other weed not so much
it is a true quest to dial in the right medicine

This thread is a real downer.
Sucks to see you all express yourselves like this.
Too much pain emitting from this thread.

I hope you all can find ways to live long happy lives.

In my opinion, absolutely! It might be strain dependant but for me , after a month or 2 with no weed at all I drift into a mild depression, lack of motivation ,poor sleep and social anxiety. Once I have herb though after about 1 week use, I get my confidence and motivation back and sleep so well.It is well known that cannabis makes melatonin production go into overdrive, which is why you can sleep well on it... and there IS a definite link between melatonin and serotonin and sleep, so I think basically the extra melatonin gets converted to serotonin during sleep, serotonin is of course the brain chemical people with depression are lacking. So yes, cannabis in my view is an anti depressant.