Doulble the chances of going skitzo?

[Nooby]

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story...5-12377,00.html

 

DOPE smokers have a 40 per cent increased risk of developing schizophrenia, and taking it regularly drives the risk up two-fold, Australian research shows.

 

A new study by psychiatrists has reviewed the latest evidence of links between cannabis use and mental illness, concluding the association is "stronger and clearer than ever".

 

A pot smoker is 40 per cent more likely to suffer a psychotic episode than a non-smoker, according to the review of major published international research.

 

And for people who smoke daily over long periods their risk is 200 per cent higher.

 

"On the world stage, Australians excel in smoking cannabis, so there are very many people who fit into this category," said lead researcher Dr Martin Cohen, a psychiatrist at the Hunter New England Mental Health Service.

 

"In fact we're number one in the world.

 

"We know now more than ever that this bodes badly for our mental health."

 

The review, published in the latest Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, calculates that about 14 per cent of all cases of psychosis would never have occurred had the patient not picked up a joint.

 

A third of all Australians have smoked at least once in their life, with about 300,000 using daily.

 

And while all had increased their risk to some degree, there was growing evidence that genetics predisposed some people even more.

 

Scientists have found a gene called COMT that, when faulty, is unable to break down the brain chemical dopamine.

 

An overload of dopamine triggers psychosis and, as cannabis produces an excess of the chemical, people with this "fault" are vulnerable.

 

Between 10 and 25 per cent of the population are believed to have the faulty gene, but as yet there is no way to test for it.

 

The risk is also higher for people who start smoking young and those who use heavily.

 

A 2007 national drug survey of 14 to 19 year olds showed 20 per cent had ever smoked marijuana and 13.1 per cent had smoked in the last 12 months.

 

"These teenagers are the ones we really need to worry about because their use is changing a developing brain," Dr Cohen said.

 

Professor Jan Copeland, director of the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre, said the levels of cannabis use had declined significantly since 1998, especially among school-aged Australians.

 

"But while we're deterring many from ever trying, established regular users are still finding it very difficult to give up, putting them at risk of not just psychosis but depression as well," she said.

 

 

CAn anyone tell me why this is BS?

 

Cheers

[WantDaChronic]

you ask why is that bullshit, yet they basically said their study was a sham...its all in the details

The review, published in the latest Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, calculates that about 14 per cent of all cases of psychosis would never have occurred had the patient not picked up a joint.

 

14% out of maybe a few percent of the population...big deal to begin with, but lets say for argument sake that they are indeed right, 14% of phychosis patients would have never got it in the first place if they hadn't smoked cannabis. they then say:

And while all had increased their risk to some degree, there was growing evidence that genetics predisposed some people even more.

 

Scientists have found a gene called COMT that, when faulty, is unable to break down the brain chemical dopamine.

 

An overload of dopamine triggers psychosis and, as cannabis produces an excess of the chemical, people with this "fault" are vulnerable.

 

Between 10 and 25 per cent of the population are believed to have the faulty gene, but as yet there is no way to test for it.

10-25% of the population have that gene defect and only a few percent get phycosis. out of the phycosis patients, 14/100 probably got it from pot according to their study. even if every patient with phycosis had that gene defect thats still only 14% of them who got it from pot and there could still be almost a quater of the population with that defect who have smoked pot and never had a problem. its nearly a statistical impossibility unless you present it like they did in the article you posted heheh

[Indycar]

Meh, it looks as if www.news.com.au played it down fairly quickly. First off, it was top story at the time, where you could post an opinion. Then it was gone. Went checking thru the archives 'n found it 'n they removed the replies to the story, 'n let it go thru to the keeper.

 

Basically backdoored it, as soon as it made news.

 

[gouger]

I'll call it bulldust because I have grown up with people who were diagnosed as schizophrenic. I watched them grow and develop and watched which drugs they took. I have used MJ myself over a period of four decades and known the individuals for far longer. I can say that only those who were already schizo were possibly affected more by using marijuana than by taking other drugs. None of the sample exhibited the possibility that MJ had anything to do with it. All schizo's were sniffing glue, using alcohol and tobacco long before they smoked a joint. They would consume anything that anyone suggested may give a buzz. Drinking metho, sniffing petrol or refrigerator gas.. yes even pure and simple(spray on vegetable oil).

 

Of those who were not schizo before smoking, none are now schizophrenic. Now when I say this I am mainly talking about one town but not a small town and a town that has grown to a city in the above mentioned time period. I have easily observed more than 95% of the total number of smokers born in this region for the entire period above. Over 40 years that adds up to a lot of dope users.

Sure there are some crazies out there but they don't get that way from smoking weed.

Edited May 21, 2008 by gouger

[bufo marinus]

WOW, with such a huge increase in the number of people exposing themselves to a prime cause of mental illness I bet our hospitals are overflowing with the resulting increase in patients?.... What's that? Ausralia's schizophrenia rate is still around 1%?

Sounds sus to me?

[Al Fish]

This story was a revelation to me! Two out of every one person is a schizophrenic and I'm one of the 300 000. I guess if I keep it up I'll soon have someone to drink coffee with. And whilst I'm at it, I keep getting emails for all manner of things, but mainly penis medications. There are tablets to make my organ bigger, thicker and longer lasting. There are even patches for those guys who don't like pills or capsules. There are ointments that engender rock-hard erections that last so long it hurts.

 

I keep getting private and confidential emails for African Bank officials with names like Zongo Noufou who want me to help them move tens of millions from dead accounts by claiming I'm related to someone who died in a plane crash or was slaughtered by Mau-Mau hit squads during rebellious times. One bloke was eaten by a White Pointer after he slipped into a tank at an aquarium! Please forward your bank account and financial details to me: Mr. Zongo Noufou or Eugene Witheredick at a hotmail address.

 

I keep getting emails for Russian women – in various states of undress – who declare, with cut and paste sincerity, that they want me as their new best friend! Even got one from some African Princess – her dad was probably related to Mr. Noufou – who looked a million dollars and claimed she was educated in English private schools and was doing a university course in politics.

 

What's the point of this shit? I want to go bald so I can shave my head! I don't want to loose weight! I don't suffer from sexual incontinence. I don't want a certificate declaring that having paid by PayPal I'm now a 'Master of Ejaculation'! There's Married Women's' Dating, Lonely (sexually explicit) Single Mums, One Night Stand, Midget Dating and T-Girl Honey groups that all flood my address with their crap – like its some sort of busy public toilet on the net!

 

Puking, Triple-Penetrated Teens; Asian Fem Dom Action; Czech Farm Girls; Menstruation Sex; Ball Busting Bitches, golden urine drinking shit-eaters - you name it and I've been sent their emails! None of them solicited. 'Skinhead Sweetheart with prominent N.S. tats seeks dedicated Neo-Fascist for cemetery desecrations...' And people ask me why I smoke dope!

 

Its like I'm trapped in a shrinking world of filth. It's a sewerage farm out there!

[gouger]

^ it is all the lead they put in petrol that did it.

[freddie]

CAn anyone tell me why this is BS?

 

Cannabis changes the way your brain functions. We wouldn't take it if it didn't. So does drinking, smoking tobacco, watching tele, meditation, listening to music (boroque is really good for you) e.t.c. as bufo pointed out the rate of schizophrenia in any population is 1% and has remained unchanged for I don't know how long. If cannabis use does increase the chances of getting schizophrenia so significantly then you would expect countries with a higher rate of cannabis use to have higher rates of schizophrenia. You would also expect these rates to have increased in western society since the 60's when cannabis became popular. I am not aware of any studies showing either of these results. If I find one then I might believe it.

 

I don't know much about psychosis but to put it into perspective there is a 4x greater risk of psychosis with alcohol abuse. I can find a link from a govt website that states this but it may take some time (its in another thread and I can't remember which).

 

"But while we're deterring many from ever trying, established regular users are still finding it very difficult to give up, putting them at risk of not just psychosis but depression as well," she said.

 

Personally i find it easy to give up but I guess some find it hard. As for depression, I think using pot heavily does possibly increase depression but at smaller doses it works to alleviate depression.

 

Cannabis isn't a totally safe drug at all. The best you can do is make an adult decision based on what you can find out. Unfortunately it is such an emotive, political issue that the truth, either way, is pretty hard to find.

 

Al, I think you have spyware issues.

[Indycar]

Personally i find it easy to give up but I guess some find it hard. As for depression, I think using pot heavily does possibly increase depression but at smaller doses it works to alleviate depression.

 

Thing is freddie, these mobs never want to consider that people might turnin' to drugs 'n alcohol, to alleviate the stress put on em by modern day society pressures. Things like increased in inflation, increasing home loan interests rates, thru the roof fuel prices, lack of services to help people out etc, all take their toll. But you can re assured, these bugga's never want admit these maybe some reasons people are looking for an escape, from the pressures of every day life.

 

Address the original under-lying problem, instead of focusing on 'the habit', like they always do.

 

As with anything, you go to the root of the problem, to fix something.

 

To be honest, most forms of depression these days, are being bought on by what i mentioned above, 'n i highly doubt it habit related.

 

Edited May 22, 2008 by Indycar

[freddie]

Thing is freddie, these mobs never want to consider that people might turnin' to drugs 'n alcohol, to alleviate the stress put on em by modern day society pressures. Things like increased in inflation, increasing home loan interests rates, thru the roof fuel prices, lack of services to help people out etc, all take their toll. But you can re assured, these bugga's never want admit these maybe some reasons people are looking for an escape, from the pressures of every day life.

 

Thats a really good point. I actually started smoking again after a 5 year break largely due to stress from a shitty job. I used to get home angry and frustrated and was probably heart attack material. Stress is a huge killer. I think I'm safer with pot than a six pack a night.