Weed Psychosis Signs & Symptoms You Need To Know
Have you been smoking weed rather a lot? Did you know that if you do that enough, you could end up suffering from a psychotic disorder? Most people start with the recreational use of cannabis and buy into this false belief that cannabis products are harmless. What you may not be aware of is that over recent years, the level of psychoactive substances in cannabis has skyrocketed, placing you at increased risk of experiencing serious mental health issues. In this article, I’ll tell you about the weed psychosis signs you need to be on the lookout for.
Towards the end of this article, we’ll discuss the best ways to avoid ever getting to that stage where you experience psychosis symptoms. The risk of psychosis from heavy marijuana use is real so if you want to inform yourself and prevent your usage from ever developing into cannabis use disorder, read on!
What Is Cannabis-Induced Psychosis?
Cannabis-Induced Psychosis (CIP) is one of a number of substance abuse disorders that can lead to feeling as if you are detached from reality. The psychosis is triggered by the overuse of cannabis. This has become more prevalent in recent times, not because there is a huge upsurge in cannabis use, but because the strength of cannabis today is much greater than the cannabis that was the norm in the sixties and seventies when smoking cannabis became popular.
Why Is The Use Of Cannabis More Dangerous Today?
The use of marijuana became popularised in the 1960s mainly due to pop culture. Many of the pop and rock artists of the time openly spoke about drug use. Recreational marijuana use became widespread but cannabis users typically weren’t complaining of paranoia or psychosis. So why, of more recent times, has there been an increase in cannabis-related psychotic illness? The answer has to do with the THC content of cannabis.
THC is the mind-altering substance that causes your “high”. Over recent years, THC levels in cannabis have shot upwards. Producers of cannabis have found ways to grow new strains that have a higher THC content. Their motivation is simple – give their user a higher “high” and they won’t move on to other, stronger drugs, leading to more profits for a longer period of time. The situation isn’t helped by the rather simplistic notion that cannabis is harmless. The truth is that the newer versions of cannabis or weed can cause serious mental illness so when you hear people advocating the legalization of cannabis, you need to be aware of the serious health risks.
While there is evidence to suggest that cannabis use can help alleviate pain in certain chronic medical conditions, it is important to realize that not all cannabis is harmless. As a matter of fact, consuming cannabis with high levels of THC places you at a higher risk of developing psychiatric disorders that may require ongoing treatment for the rest of your life.
Substance-Induced Psychosis Symptoms
- Auditory Hallucinations: If you are suffering from a psychosis caused by smoking weed or ingesting cannabis edibles, you are probably hearing voices that don’t exist.
- Delusions: You may believe that you are in danger, or that someone is out to get you.
- Disorganized Thinking: The most common form of disorganized thinking is where other people don’t know what you are talking about when you speak.
- Memory Loss: You might have problems remembering what happened in the recent past
- Paranoia: Anxiety that something bad is going to happen is quite a common symptom
- Dissociation: You may feel as if you’re not in your own body.
- Grandiosity: You may believe you have special powers of insight or an inflated sense of your own importance.
The Marijuana-Induced Psychosis Signs To Look Out For
There can be some signs that you may be at risk of experiencing a weed-related psychotic episode. These can be:
- Uncooperative: Friends or family might observe that you are being very uncooperative or have difficulty understanding an opposing view.
- Less Social: Friends might notice that you socialize less, say no to social invitations, and are becoming more isolated.
- Difficulty Concentrating: Focussing on tasks becomes more difficult and other people begin to notice that you are not paying attention in a conversation.
- Mood Swings: Mood disorders are quite common indicators that psychotic outcomes could be about to happen.
- Sleep Disturbances: Difficulty getting to sleep or difficulty staying asleep are common precursors to psychotic conditions.
Your Environmental Risk Factors
There are certain things that can happen in your life that put you at greater risk of developing this form of psychosis. Some of these are:
- Early Life Experiences: If you were exposed to trauma as a young child, such as child abuse or neglect, you have a higher risk of using illicit drugs such as cannabis
- City Life: People who live in urban areas are more likely to develop weed-induced psychosis than those who live in the countryside, even though they might have the same daily use of cannabis.
- Your Gang: The people you hang out with can influence whether you ever start using cannabis. At a younger age, we are strongly influenced by our peer group. We don’t want to be the odd one out so if they are smoking weed, we will probably do it too.
- Family History: If you have close family members who have had mental health conditions such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, you have a higher risk of developing symptoms of psychosis as a result of cannabis use.
- Binge-Drinking: Getting drunk lowers your inhibitions, and, if you binge-drink regularly, you are more likely to slip into drug abuse.
What Can Trigger A Psychotic Episode?
Most of the following are pretty much common sense but they are things to be aware of and to take sensible precautions with:
- High THC Content: The problem with cannabis is that from week to week, you don’t know what the THC content is. One week you might buy some weed that is pretty mild and the next week, you might be buying highly potent weed that could potentially cause dangerous side effects..
- Days Per Week: How often do you indulge? Obviously, having eight joints a day, every day, puts you at a higher risk than having one joint one day of the week. THC builds up in your brain so that means a regular joint-smoker is much more likely to have hallucinations and delusions.
- When You Start: Before age 25, your brain is still developing and growing. Regularly getting a dose of THC into your system causes problems with your brain chemistry during this growing phase and can potentially cause permanent problems.
- Genetics: Just as some people are more likely to develop an alcohol problem than others, it’s the same with weed. There are some individuals who will experience a much greater effect from smoking the same amount of weed as the next guy. Researchers have noticed this is more prevalent among people who have a family history of mental health problems, especially schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
- Mental Health Disorders: If you are already suffering from an underlying mental illness (eg. depression or anxiety disorder), you should not use cannabis because this can make those problems worse, and potentially trigger brief psychotic episodes.
What Strain Of Cannabis Makes You Feel The Most Paranoid?
As we have discussed the role of high THC levels, it’s no surprise that the strain of cannabis that will make you feel the most paranoid is the strain with the highest level of THC. The problem is that you probably won’t know. It’s not like there is a health warning on the packaging! There are also certain strains that act as a temporary stimulant. This also can lead to paranoia.
Another thing to be aware of is a strain that contains a low amount of CBD (cannabidiol. This is the non-psychoactive ingredient in weed. It acts to counteract the amount of THC. So if you have low amounts of CBD, there is nothing to counteract the THC which makes it more potent and more likely to cause paranoia and THC-induced psychosis.
Your Psychosis Treatment Options
Psychosis is a serious mental health issue that requires immediate treatment by a mental health professional. Failure to treat this problem properly could potentially lead you to the onset of schizophrenia which may or may not be reversible. The moment you spot any of the symptoms I have listed earlier in this article, go to the emergency room of your local hospital or consult your doctor immediately. If you are a family member or friend who has observed these symptoms in your loved one, get them to seek medical attention as quickly as possible.
Depending on the extent of the problem, you may be prescribed antipsychotic medications, or, in severe cases where you might become a threat to yourself or others, you may be admitted to a psych facility for a short while. While the prospect of either of these might not seem very attractive, they are the best way out of this problem.
Self-Hypnosis Audio For Cannabis Or Weed Addiction
Self-hypnosis can be a great tool to help you stay clean and visualize a new future without drugs that feels better and more enjoyable..
The Role Of Hypnosis In Preventing Marijuana Psychosis
Of course, we’ve all heard the old saying “Prevention is better than cure”. Self-hypnosis can play a powerful role in helping you avoid ever experiencing psychosis. Before I go on to explain how hypnosis can help you avoid cannabis-induced psychosis, please pay attention to what I am going to say next! DO NOT listen to a self-hypnosis recording if you are currently suffering from psychosis. There is a significant danger that it could make your psychosis worse.
My recommendation to listen to a self-hypnosis recording such as “Overcome Cannabis Addiction” is strictly for those of you who have not reached the THC-induced psychosis stage yet. If you are addicted to cannabis, or afraid you are on the way to becoming addicted and you want to do something about it before it’s too late, this recording is for you! Powerful hypnotic suggestions are woven into the script of this recording. These suggestions will embed deep in your unconscious mind and will have the effect of making it easier to quit cannabis and to stay clean.
Another article that may interest you is “What Is Alcohol-Induced Psychosis? Treatment Options“
Author: Paul Hunter
Although thousands of people read his blog every month, Paul's path to success was not an easy one. Click here to read his amazing story "From Unwanted Baby And Adopted To A Respected Self Help Blogger". If you want to send Paul a quick message, then visit his contact page here
