A debate on mental sickness...

[Lyndon]

Why would you think that your specific personal interaction with marijuana would give you authority to hold an opinion on others with mental illness. I know for a fact that medical marijuana has helped many of those who suffer with PTSD. Also, those with Epilepse have been given tremendous help as well. Those are both psychological illnesses, so how can you reconcile what you said before? Would you contend that these people are lying? Or would you be foolish enough to contend that they are just happier because they are high?

I was referring to psychosis based illnesses, plenty of medical studies that show marijuana makes those worse. Can't speak for PTSD but I suspect people's desire to get high overwhelms their ability to be rational on the topic of whether pot is really helping them.

 

[leibowde84]

Many thanks. I hope your path to recovery goes well also.

I'm a fan of Erich Fromm and Wilhelm Reich. I like Fromm's ideas on social Psychology but Reich's ideas have proven to be really useful to my recovery because they deal with sexuality, but I've been resistent to them because of my own sexual inhibitions.

Reich argued that the libido was a bio-chemical process which had to be burned off (he called it 'sex-economy' or 'libido-economy'). if it was repressed, rather than just dissapearing, it would be sumbliniated in the form of neuroisis (one example would be depression, anxiety, etc). The issue is that by changing my own beliefs, overcoming my inhibitions and anxieity and becoming more accepting of my sexuality, I have relieved my own depression as I have become less repressed. Hence the energy from the libido flows more naturally so that I feel more spotaneous. He argued that sexual repression was the primary source of nerousis and that morality that repressed sexuality was responsible for a considerable amount of mental illness. I've heard of him as being described as the 'grandfather' of the sexual revolution, because ultimately his argument that by changing social attitudes towards sexuality (and abolishing the family when he was in his marxist phase) you could improve society's overall mental health.
This it the 'neat' version of what happened, as it took alot of trial and error over a number of years to really accept these ideas as true and to find out if they worked. As a rule, I generally make decisions based on what would make me happier rather than what I'm (supposed) to think is right.

I appreciate the sentiment, but I am very confident in my hetero sexuality. I just have a great deal a friends that have gone through what you have, and I know it's an uphill battle. I do suffer with depression on a daily basis though, and I appreciate suggestions the reading material. But what can we debate about?

 

[leibowde84]

I was referring to psychosis based illnesses, plenty of medical studies that show marijuana makes those worse. Can't speak for PTSD but I suspect people's desire to get high overwhelms their ability to be rational on the topic of whether pot is really helping them.

I'm sorry, but the evidence proves otherwise. Just listen to Sanjay Gupta's special from a few months ago when he went back on what he said previously about the dangers of marijuana. I wholeheartedly agree that it is a dangerous substance when mixed with antipsychotics, but it has been shown to be able to replace them in many circumstances. I suggest that you do a little research on the topic, because a lot of progress has been made in the past couple of years. This is all do to the fact said the government has loosened restrictions.

 

[leibowde84]

Sorry but I think you've smoked a bit too much wacky weed......

LOL.

 

[Laika]

I appreciate the sentiment, but I am very confident in my hetero sexuality. I just have a great deal a friends that have gone through what you have, and I know it's an uphill battle. I do suffer with depression on a daily basis though, and I appreciate suggestions the reading material. But what can we debate about?

that was not my intention. (sorry). More specifically, Reich's position referred to all human sexuality. He lived in the 1930's and still viewed homosexuality as a pervesion, whilst still being a legitimate expression of seuxality.

what is your experience of depression like? I'm willing to go in to more deatils about my own experience if it is of help to you. there may be some common ground where we can help each other.