treating social anxiety disorder with marijuana

this is a serious question and i hope you understand im asking this as a logical means to treating SAD. please read on

since i started highschool i felt i had some kind of disorder, i did not know if it was depression or anxiety, but i was never comfortable to do anything in public. if i could describe my condition i would say i have a "active/paranoid mind"

after reading about social anxiety disorder i know for a fact this is exactly what i have. im now in college with the same condition ive had for years. at this point in my life i feel it has caused me to miss out on many years of my life that should have been great, but they were spent hiding from my fears.

i understand the disorder totaly but its one of those things you just cant help, it takes over you. to help me all i need is to be able to relax. i feel at this point in my life i will never be able to have a successful career unless i control this.

this is a serious question about how smoking marjiuana in moderation of course can help someone with this disorder?

please do not tell me i need to see someone about this, that is another thing. im just asking this for information. thanks

I think it would depend on the person. That particular substance can either make you more anxious or less. It may also depend on the situation. I was never comfortable in public when high, some people are.

i think you should never self-medicate. i think you need to get to the doctor, and get in a combination of therapy and meds to deal with the issue.

PS - in some people, marijuana makes their mental issues a lot worse. how is being disconnected from reality going to help your SAD?

have you thought about going to a psychiatrist and getting it officially diagnosed? Counselling would also help...

I think you need to see a doctor before you start self-diagnosing yourself.

I know you said that we shouldn't tell you to see someone about this, but why not?

I have only one thing to say...

Smoking weed can cause paranoid schizophrenia - add a history of family mental illess or any mental illnesses that you suffer and the risk increases acutely.

I would counsel you against it as strongly as I can, I've had two friends go through a similar thing, and one now has PS. Read up on the symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia and it's association with marijuana use and decide for yourself whether it's worth the risk before you try anything.

I have only one thing to say...

 

Smoking weed can cause paranoid schizophrenia - add a history of family mental illess or any mental illnesses that you suffer and the risk increases acutely.

 

I would counsel you against it as strongly as I can, I've had two friends go through a similar thing, and one now has PS. Read up on the symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia and it's association with marijuana use and decide for yourself whether it's worth the risk before you try anything.

yes, i agree. my aunt is a psychiatrist who specializes in addictions. she said pretty much the same thing.

just wondering are either of you weed smokers or at least tried it?

i tried it twice. it gave me a massive headache both times. no high at all.

pete89...although I would agree a therapist to talk to and a psychiatrist to prescribe something would be the best start on trying to get past your social anxiety, I understand you requested us NOT to say this. I have social anxiety as well...I dont think it is that difficult to realize when you are nervous and anxious in public to the point it makes it hard to enjoy being out or meeting people. I have always used alcohol to quell my anxiety and meet people if I was going out, but that really ended up being the last thing I should have done....I also smoked weed, which, although it is not as bad as alcohol and would probably be okay to use, it also has its side affects. I dont know about schizophrenia, but paranoiavis a common side affect to weed. But if you smoked before and its helped you, I would say use experiment with how it might help you for a short period and gradually ween yourself off it while gradually working on your anxiety by pushing yourself into those situations you fear. I think social anxiety is not something you can just cure, it is a gradual growth, an acceptance of yourself and working on pushing yourself to do those things you fear most. Medication (whichever you choose) should be used to get over the hump of actually going out.....Marijuana can be a very innocent natural drug compared to many others (in my humble experience), but like anything in excess, it can bog your life down and make things worse..

i tried it properly once, got the same effect as annie and i wished it would just stop, but it didn't, i had to wait for it to end. 1 drag when im drunk tho, il be running the down the streets naked and making out with lampposts. ~ not for me.

but yeah you should see a doctor, i know its scary but what's even more scary is what could happen if you self pre-scribe.

just wondering are either of you weed smokers or at least tried it?

I've never tried it, not because I was afraid, but because I've just never wanted to, and I've only been around three people that smoked in my life.

One started because her boyfriend did, she's insane, but she was that way before the pot, so I can't say it had any negative effect on her.

Another was depressed and paranoid (not a diagnosis, just a description), he smoked for six months, spiralled out and was diagnosed with schzophrenia. Has spent about nine months in psych ward over the last year and a half.

The last was a friend's gf, she smoked like once a week at parties, is fine.

i tried it properly once, got the same effect as annie and i wished it would just stop, but it didn't, i had to wait for it to end. 1 drag when im drunk tho, il be running the down the streets naked and making out with lampposts. ~ not for me.

 

but yeah you should see a doctor, i know its scary but what's even more scary is what could happen if you self pre-scribe.

So I can blame the pot for when I did that?

honestly, it calms me down right away....

but, it can have the opposite effect on someone else.

I've never tried it but I have friends who have and I can definitely vouch for the paranoia thing--at least in some users.

So I can blame the pot for when I did that?

i tried, the police didn't see it as an excuse.

i think you should never self-medicate.

I agree with this 100%.

i tried, the police didn't see it as an excuse.

 

The police just gave me a ride home, college town and all. I.m over it though, no drink, no smoke pot for around 20 years. So if I pull a maneuver like that again I've got NO EXCUSE!

Well, I'm a regular smoker, so I guess I can help you out. Around here (Montreal, Canada), nearly everyone smokes at least occasionally, and I have a lot of friends who smoke all the time. By regularly, I mean 3-4 times a week.

Anyway, I know that amongst the majority of my friends, smoking makes them more paranoid. I'm an exception though, and I generally am LESS paranoid when smoking, so it's really dependent on who you are.

If you haven't smoked before, this information will probably be too much for you to digest, but there's two major families (I'm not a taxonomist, I don't know whether it's genus, or whatever) of marijuana, Sativa and Indica. Indica is by far and wide the most available as it's much easier and cheaper to grow. The problem is that I find it makes me more anti-social, as all I want to do is lie down and sleep. On the other hand, if you can get your hands on Sativa, I find that it makes me more active, and I actually socialize very well with it. Sativa IS more expensive though, and it's hard to find a good hookup for it.

Now, as I've said, pretty much everyone I know smokes marijuana, and I don't know a single person who became a paranoid schizophrenic. I'm a straight A student, as are many of my friends, and I even know people in the Ivy leagues who smoke. There is a lot of bad information about what it does to your brain, but in moderation, there's honestly no problem with a little toke here and there.

So to answer your question, will it help with your social anxiety? There's really only one way to find out, and that's to try it out. If you know any pot heads, ask them if they know where you can buy some Sativa (One particular strain that I'd recommend is called White Widow).

The only thing that I'd say to watch out for is using it too much. Try restricting it to social situations only (ie: never when you're alone) and also only do it after you've taken care of everything else (ie: schoolwork).

And last but not least: NEVER SMOKE AND DRIVE. Driving while under the influence is one of the dumbest things you can do, and while I know that many people do do it, and claim that driving while smoking isn't that dangerous for whatever reason, it's still dangerous and you should never, ever do it.

smoking has always made me REALLY paranoid. i've never felt the calm, happy high that everyone describes. my heart beats 100 miles per hour, and i get VERY anxious and can't wait for it to end. plus i drank a 24 pack of snapple in one hour.

you can never predict the effects it will have on you, sure it might make it better, but it could also make it much much worse.

why not try seeing a counselor instead?

I think what you should do is find a therapist who does Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.

You should arrange a visit to the doctor to make certain Social Anxiety Disorder is what you have. I had been to the doctor before convinced that my self-diagnosis for GAD was right and came out wrong. Anyway, Marijuana may compliment CBT, though CBT should solve your problems itself without outside help.

Oh and the guy doesn't need any propagandist viewpoints on pot. I see how it could be a gamble, but typically schizophrenia onsets spurring from pot occur in people that are genetically predisposed. If the OP isn't then he shouldn't have anything to worry about.

Oh and the guy doesn't need any propagandist viewpoints on pot. I see how it could be a gamble, but typically schizophrenia onsets spurring from pot occur in people that are genetically predisposed. If the OP isn't then he shouldn't have anything to worry about.

I'm not trying to push propaganda, but the point I'm trying to make is that because there is no test for genetic predisposition (which can manifest in people without a history of mental illness), there is a significant risk.

I know I'm a little biased because I saw a friend deteriorate into madness, but it's relevant, I feel.

There might be no test, but if there's a big or even weak link in your family there is risk. My aunt has schizophrenia -- the only one that has it in my family at that, and I'm an ex-pot smoker..I know your a humanitarian as well man, but because you know one person who did it and sparked a dormant illness does not mean everybody that smokes pot is prone to it or has a high risk of it happening. It is a gamble, but millions of people make this gamble every year and often times nobody comes out of it with a substance-induced mental illness. I'm not trying to start a flame, but my point is to just think of the risk in realistic terms; it's a rarity.

I know it's not common, I just wanted to make sure he knew the risks.

Anyways, that's my piece said.