I've been thinking about this too. I have depression/ anxiety, and I take wellbutrin (I have a thread re in here too) and I have found that weed seems to help even better than the wellbutrin. Also, the other day I had a pretty bad crash with withdrawal symptoms from missing wellbutrin for two days. Smoking completely removed my symptoms, which were pretty bad.
I say good luck finding your strain that works the best for your brain, and good luck and have fun growing and smoking it mate!
Although I agree that it is possible that someone may have depression or something of the sort due to shit being fucked up in their lives, I don't think it's always the case, as you seem to be suggesting. I also agree that it is always a good idea to look at your life and change things that may be affecting you adversely.
I also agree with exercise as a great way to boost endorphin levels and treat depression symptoms, much like you say weed treats the symptoms.
What I disagree with you on is your conclusive statement that "depression is rooted in self pity," and that "Accepting this is the fastest way to recovery.
I think you are misinformed.
Depression, although as I said I agree can be caused by things in life, it is also very common that the source of the symptoms is in fact a chemical difference in the brain. Another good example is bi-polar disorder. Do you think that's caused by some fucked up shit in your life too?
On that point, I wonder if maybe you're also wrong about weed only treating symptoms, although I'm only speculating. Smoking also effects your brain's chemical levels, maybe even in a comperable way to some anti-depressants might? I dunno, like I said - basically just thinking right onto my keyboard on that last thing.
Anyway, cheers!
Pip
True, there are people out there that have real chemical imbalances and need medication to live with their condition. These people are the extreme minority though. Most people that think their so called depression is a real medical condition are fooling themselves. Everybody's brain chemistry is different, there is no normal.
It's strange how in just the last couple decades that everyone seems to think that it's acceptable to be dependent upon a psychoactive drug in order to be "normal". All these thousands of years humans have been doing fine just living their lives naturally, and I find it no strange thing that the downfall of humanity we are experiencing now has coincided with the emergence of the aforementioned drug needy attitude.
This is coming from someone that spent a good deal of his childhood and teen years tweaked out on various pharmaceuticals, wellbutrin included. For some reason those doctors thought that just being my natural self was deficient or wrong in some way. Telling my parents, psychologists, psychiatrists, and various other drug pushers to fuck off and that I'll never swallow another "happy" pill in my life was one of the, if not the most important life decisions I have ever made.
My brother is bipolar. He was diagnosed and started medication for it a year or so ago. I no longer have contact with him, the brother I knew is no more. He is his "disease" now. Complete asshole, more miserable than before. And yes, I believe that experiences and factors in his life led him to exhibit his "bipolar" symptoms.
People in our modern society seem to think that they should be "happy" 24 hours a day seven days a week. It just doesn't work that way. Life is suffering. We are dying a little more everyday since birth. This doesn't mean we can't be happy. We just need to accept that life is painful, and this pain is what makes the good things in life truly sweet. These people that try to avoid all suffering, whether it be through pills or other, they lose their humanity and will eventually regret it.
I stand by my statement that depression is rooted in self pity. Really, think about it. Also, I find it hard to believe that someone who has access to a computer, and the free time to browse a fucking pot forum, is in any way justifiably depressed. Now someone starving to death in somalia, who just watched their mother be raped and killed by islamists. Sure, they can be legitamately depressed. And even still, they are pitying themselves. Us first worlders, the vast majority of us, have no justification for depression.
I know I just ranted on pharmaceuticals when this thread is about ganj, I got carried away trying to prove a point.
Does ganj make us feel better? I think we all know it does. It's medicinal applications are vast. When I feel down, does a bong help? Fuck yes. It is no substitute for actually getting off the couch and doing something about whatever it is that is making me feel down, though. Cannabis, as amazing as it might be at treating symptoms, doesn't "cure" anything. When you wake up the next morning, whatever it was that was eating you the day before will still be there.
If you need ganj just to be "normal", what the fuck are you supposed to do to get high?
In my ideal world i would eat sleep and breath marijuana if its what helps me i would grow tons of it so i would never be short and maybe it would help me sleep too.
