Marijuana Use and Bipolar Disorder to be Studied

[Phyllis]

Is there a connection? Professor Cecilia Hillard of the Medical College of Wisconsin will be doing a 5-year study investigating one possible link between the chemicals in marijuana and the development of bipolar disorder and psychoses.
In a news brief somewhat sensationally titled Marijuana Use = Bipolar Disorder? Dr. Hillard told Corrine Hess of The Business Journal of Milwaukee that lifetime use of cannabis is 20 to 40 percent in bipolar patients compared to 6 percent in the general population. Dr. Hillard said there are three possible explanations - (1) that bipolar disorder brings on cannabis use; (2) marijuana use precedes the disorder and brings it on; or (3) an "X" factor causes both bipolar disorder and marijuana use.

Dr. Hillard says the second explanation is most likely, and will be testing mice with the primary psychoactive chemical in cannabis to see if it leads to a particular reaction in the brain to see if that initiates bipolar disorder.

I have to wonder if the College's press release and news brief are leaving something out or aren't being clear. The three explanations seem awfully simplistic. Is Dr. Hillard's second theory, the one that is to be tested, really saying that marijuana initiates bipolar disorder in persons with no family history of the illness and no prior symptoms? What about a fourth explanation, that the possibility of bipolar disorder exists (possibly with unrecognized symptoms already occurring), and cannabis activates or exacerbates the condition?

Obviously not everyone who smokes cannabis develops BP, and not everyone with BP has used marijuana at some point. Here's my case: I smoked marijuana (and used hallucinogenics) during my freshman year, and peer pressure was the main reason (actually, he was gorgeous, I wanted him, he wanted me to smoke dope). I had shown plenty of signs of depression since childhood, and racing thoughts were a problem already. I wasn't diagnosed with bipolar disorder till much later.

If you used or have used marijuana, what's your story? Did it come before or after you had bipolar disorder symptoms?

http://bipolar.about.com/b/2010/04/26/marijuana-use-and-bipolar-disorder-to-be-studied.htm

[Phyllis]

meh... I started using my junior year in highschool. I was diagnosed with severe clinical depression my sophmore year. I wasn't really depressed when I started using. I just tried it because a classmate of mine gave me a bag for free. to this day I do not know why he did, maybe he was trying to get rid of evidence? it was a pretty big bag. but anywho.... once I started smoking it I was hooked. After I graduated, I was living with a girl who was still in highschool and she scored some acid.... so that was my new drug of choice. then I moved and pretty much wherever you move, if you want to find dope, you will find it. I keep my drug usage to pot only these days. I'm too old and have too many kids to enjoy a good trip. And I haven't really had any weed in a good while. But, I honestly don't find anything wrong with it. I can see where people think that smoking pot will cause depression, but I dunno about it causing bp. Not unless it has been laced with something. Just my 2 cents.

[Paz]

 I agree with Phyllis...many people over the years have smoked weed and not had any mental problems...a lot of Bp's do smoke it[I am one of them].I think that I and other BP's probably used it to make things more bearable...I have been smoking it for 20 years,and I was diagnosed BP 4 years ago. When the doc told me I was using weed for self medication I was like, "you think so? It has made my life more bearable, and I don't think that is a bad thing." On the other hand, after my mood swings got under control, the meds the doc gave me made my life unbearable...so it makes me wonder why they want to try to demonize weed?
 

[Dreamline]

Man I was hoping the post was about a study to see how it can be used to medicate people w/ BP.  I too used it as a way to make my life more bearable.  Sometimes it definately did help...I think this is where studies on certain strains for certain symptoms would be very useful.  Sometimes it made things worse...at both poles for diff reasons.  Strange how it would either lessen or intensify how I felt.

[christian.156]

Do lawyers have a higher incidence of marijuana use than others? I think they do. So does practicving law make you smoke nmarijuana, or does marijuana use create the desire tro practice law?