# Why does weed cause this?



## Bosko (Nov 9, 2007)

I dont know if this has been done before but i am really interested to know why weed casuses the brain to become so broken. Scientifically speaking has anyone ever done any research into it? It really pisses me off when i read all the crap about weed not being harmfull etc etc, how can these people be so called experts in their field if they dont know anything about this hell we live in lol!


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## Guest (Jun 14, 2008)

I couldn't agree more... It angers me aswell that no one can understand what we are going through.. Doctors dont even know about it! its pathetic. Hopefully it becomes more widely known then it may get some interest.


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## MasterMind. (May 9, 2008)

I don't think it's so much the WEED itself as to what ONE bad trip can cause. Weed basically opens doors & heightens your paranoia level. So it really depends on your mood & how your feeling at the moment which can spiral into something totally different. I mean i've been able to smoke weed with NO problem, it actually makes me feel relieved & more relaxed, but then other nights i'd smoke & go into a whole different realm & of course that carries on the next day & so forth.

I agree though, I do wish there was more awareness of DP/DR, however when you think about it, there is still so much about the brain to be disovered, & since DP/Dr isn't as common as as well known as say depression, it's sort've on the back burner until they figure out new things. :|


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## DpSuprakid (Jun 14, 2008)

Spoken like it sound be.

Weed opens doors, which often take a long time to close. Sometimes the brain needs several months or years to recover from the imbalance weed has caused. The time will always vary depending, but never forget, you aren't trapped forever!!!!!!


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## aaron.sims (Jan 21, 2008)

I do not believe that weed causes this disorder. I think some people have a pre disposition for anxiety panic and depression and weed can only intensify the feelings. Dp and Dr are perfectly normal reactions that our body creates to stressful situations it is not permanent and can be undone with mind training and other techniques. I have done it and have talked to many that have people get stuck on weed causing it instead of understanding what it is weed doesnt open some door in your brain that you cant close there are hundreds of thousands of people that have smoked it all their life and never dealt with this thats where the pre disposition comes in. Weed might cause it, a panic attack might cause it, having a baby might cause it, a car wreck might cause it, being in Iraq and shooting someone might cause it all these are just events that trigger dp and dr. anyways i want people to have hope and courage to face this disorder and know that you dont have to deal with it your entire life you can get over it just like any other disorder. Hope my thoughts help!

Aaron


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## Guest (Jun 17, 2008)

I smoked weed last night, took 5 giant hits off of a bong and I was fukd... Yea I was seriously depersonalized, felt like everything was fake, my body didn't exist. I was just an audience member in a theatre watching a movie of my life.. Pretty fukd up but yea I didn't panic, kept calm, kept positive and it went away.. Gotta stay away from the bong...

I guess weed has different effects... your mind could get overloaded fast and fuk up. But panicking doesn't do anything good. You panic you make it 10x worst.


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## The Caretaker (Jun 2, 2008)

$$$$$$$


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## Guest (Jun 17, 2008)

AndyH said:


> well you'd be a right dickhead then eh!


Yea I shouldn't smoke weed but there's always the but


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## Ludovico (Feb 9, 2007)

I think when people say that 'Weed is safe', they mean that statistically it's quite harmless compared to other drugs. Millions of people smoke weed every day around the world and only a very, very tiny percentage of them will ever experience DP. I think you're recovery will accelerate when you stop trying to place blame for your condition. It's not weed's fault, and it's not your fault.


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## psychiatrysucks (Oct 17, 2007)

Dp and Dr are perfectly normal reactions that our body creates to stressful situations it is not permanent and can be undone with mind training and other techniques. -Aaronswhatever

I completely disagree with this statement in the sense that I believe that Dp and dr are normal reactions; however, I strongly believe that CHRONIC depersonalization where you are literally trapped in this state is ABnormal. I am not saying people shouldn't have hope or whatever, but i'm saying that what I am experiencing, which is chronic depersonalization is pathological in its purest form. Many people on this website don't know the fucking difference and it bothers me a bit.


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## Monkeydust (Jan 12, 2005)

I think the reason it has an affect varies. Sometimes, weed will open your mind to anxious or paranoid feelings, and those stay with you for some time after you've come down. Other times, weed will spark an obsession which will worsen the DP. There's a small number of people who get DP-like feelings after smoking a LOT of weed - but this always goes away after a while.

It seems to take a particular kind of personality for all this stuff to come on, as I know people who can smoke a lot of weed, and who I can visibly see becoming slow, lazy etc, but who have absolutely no problem with this, and are fine when they stop.

The key thing is, if you have DP symptoms, don't smoke weed, or only smoke very little - especially if you're not in a good mood beforehand.


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## Bosko (Nov 9, 2007)

ive become so fuked up thoug now i dont even know what to do. The way i constantly ruminate in my head, unable to rela my mind is something that as stayed 24/7 to the extent i now feel like my inner monologue is not mine. Its out of my control and therefore i only can explain it that weed has chemically altered my brain, permenantly i dont know. All of the advice people give me i understand but it as no effect on my symptoms. i dont even feel dp''d anymore but ive never felt worse, i just dont know whats happening to me


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## Monkeydust (Jan 12, 2005)

Nope, the weed hasn't chemically altered your brain - however much it might feel like it has. To do this, you'd need to smoke weed everyday for years, and even then you might not really notice the change in yourself.

What you have sounds much more like it's rooted in some anxieties, and neurotic emotions that weed has triggered. If you're panicking, obsessing, feeling like things aren't quite right etc, that's a neurotic trait which you can recover from, and is temporary. Permanent brain damage is very different, and what you're describing doesn't sound like it.


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## Bosko (Nov 9, 2007)

yeh thats wat i do 24/7 jus panic about my mentality. A neurotic mindset describes me to a t. its just the fear of it never ending that is driving it on and the way it hasnt canged in a year, jus constant panic and horrible disturbing thoughts, and the way my mind feels altered. hope i cn change it


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## CrypticUk (Sep 16, 2007)

Alright Mate 

Yeah what you described with the inner monologue/voice(like what you are doing and thinking are not linked) not being your own is exactly what i feel and it's a killa! along with the dr and feeling like i'm not here it must be my worst symptom.

Just forget about "the weed has some how changed my brain" idea because it's not true, believe me i somked/ate enough weed to last two life times and i got better before, so forget it, it's rubbish.

c


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## Cathal_08 (Apr 7, 2008)

> Just forget about "the weed has some how changed my brain" idea because it's not true, believe me i somked/ate enough weed to last two life times and i got better before, so forget it, it's rubbish.


no its not bullshit, you dont smoke the same weed as everyone else, most weed in the uk it full of other drugs nd thats how it fuck you mind up!


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## Pablo (Sep 1, 2005)

Cathal_08 said:


> > Just forget about "the weed has some how changed my brain" idea because it's not true, believe me i somked/ate enough weed to last two life times and i got better before, so forget it, it's rubbish.
> 
> 
> no its not bullshit, you dont smoke the same weed as everyone else, most weed in the uk it full of other drugs nd thats how it flower* you mind up!


Thats rubbish, why would dealers put other drugs in their weed its just extra cost for them, the biggest myth is that there has ever been any weed spiked with acid or other hard drugs - It is just a myth it has never happened, apart from people who intentionally do it themselves, I smoked weed inthe UK for a few years and not once was there ever anything else in it as there didn't need to be because it is powerful enough on its own these days.


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## Cathal_08 (Apr 7, 2008)

Pablo said:


> Cathal_08 said:
> 
> 
> > > Just forget about "the weed has some how changed my brain" idea because it's not true, believe me i somked/ate enough weed to last two life times and i got better before, so forget it, it's rubbish.
> ...


i would have thought that too, but i have taken a drug test myself and other drugs came up and the only drug i ever took in my lifetime is weed!


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## AntiSocial (Jul 12, 2008)

i think its a combination of too much stress and weed. because most people under stress will resort to smokin weed and can end up feeling like this. i think that smokin a little bit and not abusing it would be fine.


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## Guest (Jul 14, 2008)

It seems to attract a lot insecure kids who are anxiety and depression ridden. This mix will make a fragile mind even more fragile and the mind will only take so much until it's had enough.


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## Pablo (Sep 1, 2005)

All drugs open up your mind and if you cant take the doors the drugs open you get dp because you contract around the experience rather than open to it - but whatever happens the cause is your personal reaction to the drug rather than the drug itself


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## aaron.sims (Jan 21, 2008)

another thing to consider is that many people experience dp on a day to day basis, it's a very normal unflawed part of our brain and it definatly hasnt been "opened" by weed. many people have dealt with this disorder through panic attacks, having a baby, other trauma that creates a great deal of stress in someones life. millions have smoked weed and have been fine and as for spiking weed with other drug besides pcp most drug wouldnt withstand the heat it takes to burn the thc from the plant in turn burning it making it ineffetive so that is out of the question to. anyone can experience dp and dr its normal its just the people that experience it for any length of time become obsessed with it causing the symptoms to continue. anyways that is just my two sense. i dont think weed chemically alteres your brains chemistry and its absurd to think so i think its just a habit of thought. hope everyone is doing ok..

aaron


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## jd99034 (Dec 2, 2008)

I disagree, somewhat...

I used to post here back on 2004-5 and mainly posted about my experience of using cannabis for a treatment of DP. I know how crazy that sounds. For most people cannabis can cause DP. The reason I haven't been to this site in about 4 years, is because I have had little to no dp/dr symptoms. I also was using cannabis as a medicine, daily. I discovered that the "fuck it" attitude that comes with being a stoner, helped with me not care about the DP/DR and eventually I thought about it less and less, until it was gone. I don't have medical or science background, but maybe here is a theory from a sufferer. ADD and ADHD is treated with stimulants. Stimulants would have an effect on the brain on someone who doesn't have these disorders, of making them hyper. Cannabis can cause DP/DR, and anxiety and paranoia. For someone who already has these symptoms, wheather they're related to the ingestion of the drug or not, has seem to have the opposite effect, for me anyway.

I recently quit cannabis, and tobacco to become more healthy, also because i was just diagnosed with lyme disease, which is inflamitory on all organs, and so is smoking anything. The DP/DR, paranioa, and anxiety have returned, not as strong as before, but they're back, and thats why I finally am here again.

Just my thoughts


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## flipwilson (Aug 19, 2006)

Does weed universally cause DP? Well from a purely technical standpoint the answer would have to be no, or i would assume more people would be suffering from DP. But lets not tread lightly on this topic and give weed a pass. I understand the subjectivity of drugs and the predispositions of those that take them, but when marijuana is implicated in 13% to 20% of dissociative cases as the trigger and is the drug of choice used by scientists in clinical studies to induce depersonalization, then something about THC is very good at dissociating brains. I don't know if there is brain damage as we would define in stroke victims or head trauma patients, but when any drug breaks the blood brain barrier then you have the potential for something to be effected in the brain. When people take anti-depressants or anti-anxiety meds(which many of us have experienced) those drugs are changing chemical structure or creating new pathways or blocking chemicals or forcing the brain to produce more of certain chemical, so I don't really understand the defense of weed not having any effect that could be lasting to our makeup. Even psychiatry to this day cannot fully explain why some anti-depressants work and our knowledge of the brain is in its infancy, so how can those that defend weed make blanket statements like 'weed is safe' or 'weed doesn't do this or weed doesn't do that', that's just absurd cause we don't know yet.


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## pbandit27 (Dec 8, 2008)

Weed def triggered this for me as well. I was 13, bad panic attack, dying, bla bla you've all heard the same story before. For the longest time i "blamed" weed for causing my depersonalization, anxiety, laziness, depression until I did some deep soul searching and realized that when i was a kid I had the biggest fear of my parents dying. I was obsessed with the thought of loosing both my parents and what i would do w/o them around. I had very little self identity at the time and even less understanding of the world around me so an obsessively panicking thought like that while being real stoned threw me over the edge. 
So the moral of the story is in my case i will NEVER blame weed for "causing" it. I blame myself for not confronting my fears and talking with my parents about how i felt.

One more thing. At the time of my first Panic attack I didnt know it was panic attack...i convinced myself it was a "seizure" or a "mild heart attack," if that even exists... I was young, didnt even know that panic attacks existed, didnt have the internet, ect. So, not knowing what it was but believing that it was related to a SERIOUS marijuana related health problem may have been another factor in triggering my depersonalization... maybe haha


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## fiberglasscottoncandy (Oct 29, 2012)

jd99034 said:


> I disagree, somewhat...
> 
> I used to post here back on 2004-5 and mainly posted about my experience of using cannabis for a treatment of DP. I know how crazy that sounds. For most people cannabis can cause DP. The reason I haven't been to this site in about 4 years, is because I have had little to no dp/dr symptoms. I also was using cannabis as a medicine, daily. I discovered that the "fuck it" attitude that comes with being a stoner, helped with me not care about the DP/DR and eventually I thought about it less and less, until it was gone.	I don't have medical or science background, but maybe here is a theory from a sufferer. ADD and ADHD is treated with stimulants. Stimulants would have an effect on the brain on someone who doesn't have these disorders, of making them hyper. Cannabis can cause DP/DR, and anxiety and paranoia. For someone who already has these symptoms, wheather they're related to the ingestion of the drug or not, has seem to have the opposite effect, for me anyway.
> 
> ...


I know this is a really old thread, but I found it while searching why marijuana causes depersonalization on google. I searched this because I've been hearing from a lot of people on this site that it caused their dp. But I don't really understand because I feel as though it's helped me with mine a lot. It doesn't actually fix it or make it go away, but it makes it sooo much more easy to deal with dp.

So I know what you're talking about when you say it helped your dp.

Also, I don't understand why you'd stop smoking weed. It helps with Lymes disease and is an anti-inflammatory. Maybe if it was helping you, you should try it again.


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## sabir (Oct 24, 2012)

There is nothing specific about the weed. It's the fact that you are in a bad state of mind WHILE on the weed. Weed enables paranoid thoughts and your mind takes those paranoid thoughts seriously.
When you have a "bad trip" and seriously think you are losing control/are in danger, your mind will depersonalize and go into "fight/flight/freeze" mode.

Weed is not the cause, but it helps get you to the point of extreme paranoia if you have an existing anxiety. There's nothing bad about smoking weed *IF* you do not have an existing anxiety problem and are in a good state of mind when smoking it. If you are not, then you are at risk for a bad trip and subsequent depersonalization.

I smoked weed every day for 7 years and was a calm, relaxed, personable individual. But then finally had a bad trip where I freaked out because I realized while high that I did something earlier that night that may have lasting physical affects on me (inhaled exhaust fumes without knowing it, nothing to do with weed). Thus I freaked out on the weed and had a DP reaction. I am close to recovering though after just 2 months.


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