Marijuana and depression

Marijuana is said to cause depression, particularly in heavy users or people who use marijuana on a regular basis. It is also linked to some forms of mental illness such as psychosis.

But it is difficult to say whether marijuana is directly responsible for depression as there are other factors to take into account. A person’s genetic makeup, their environment, personality, lifestyle etc are all possible triggers for depression.

Some people are more at risk of depression than others which may be due to an inherited tendency. If someone in their family suffers from depression then there is a high chance that they will do the same.

What is still not clear is whether depression is caused by marijuana only or is caused by several factors, one of these being marijuana.

Depression

This is an illness in which someone loses interest in everyday things, has a lack of energy and motivation and feels worthless. Their mood is low and they start to withdraw from family, friends and social situations.

Suicidal thoughts are not uncommon.

Depression is a common illness which affects around 1 in 5 people in the UK and is no respecter of age, social background or income level.

There is no exact cause of depression but there are several factors which can trigger a bout of depression which include:

• Family history of depression
• Gender (women are more likely to suffer from depression)
• Life event. e.g. redundancy
• Long term illness
• Neurotic personality
• Recreational drugs, e.g. marijuana

Depression affects people in different ways.

Marijuana as a coping mechanism

There are people with depression who use marijuana as a means of coping with their illness. Whilst marijuana may ease their symptoms there is a downside; prolonged use can result in apathy, lack of energy and motivation which are forms of self-destructive behaviour.

There is an interchangeable relationship between marijuana and depression: however, this does not mean that marijuana is directly responsible for causing depression.

Depression is caused by several factors, marijuana being one of them.