Hash and mental health problems?

[lizsie2002]

I have already posted question about my 16 year old who is suicidal, been sectioned this week and now says he wants to die but is refusing treatment.he has just come in and is ++ paranoid, thinking everyone thinks he smells etc. I know he has taken hash in the past. he says it calms him down but i feel it is making him more agitated and paranoid. Am i right?What should i do ? The drs say he is not sectionable now even though he says he wants to die. A lot of the problem is that there are no beds in young persons unit and they said adult services not suitable especially as he has learning difficulty.

[Timothy S]

I felt like that when I was 16 and I wasn't taking anything. Sounds like attention is what he wants.

[agius1520]

Long term, regular use does seem to be highly linked to mental health issues, i attend a group with other depressed people and the majority have taken drugs in the past and all of which have a mental health issue.Some of them recognise this, problem is your son has to realise it himself, he can't be told not to do it because its bad for him. He is obviously more concerned about dealing with his current problems and hash is stopping the thoughts creeping into his mind. You need to help him resolve these issues, then you can get him to come off the drugs, not the other way around, it will feel too much of a punishment.

[vandall]

one of my best friends is a nurse in the psychiatric ward of a hospital and she said over 80% of the paitience are in there because of longterm pot smoking. If you are prone to mental health issues (if its in the family) smoking pot will almost certainly bring this on prematurely. my sister has been smoking weed on a daily basis for about 10 years and i can say with absolute certainty that it has turned her psychotic. she cant control her anger and imagines people are talking about her all the time. we can see it getting worse all the time but she wont stop. get your kid to narcotics anonymous or something similar so he can see the effect it has had on other people. and he needs to ee a councillor. there is obviously something in his life he is trying to block out and he probably wont talk to you about it.

[5200jenniferg]

I can effect people in different ways. I smoked weed every day for years and i am ok. If there is some underlying medical condition then smoking it can trigger it. As other people have said you need to take him to ER and tell them you are not moving until he has bee assesed if you really believe he is going to harm himself. You should not have to deal with this on your own

[pooterpet]

yes hash can be making him feel more relaxed and calm AND it can also be making him behave (and feel even if he doesn't realise or can't acknowlege it) more paranoid and agitated...i say this having had a long experience with smoking&mental health issues and now given up smoking...i think whilst people are still smoking hash/grass, taking drugs it is really hard for them to see all the negative effects of the drugs...i also believe that the actual correlation between the drugs and mental health issues aren't what people say, it is more complicated. i believe that a lot of drug users who have a problem with drugs and/or mental health issues are actually self medicating with the drugs. unfortunately a lot of the side effects of the drugs are a worsening of whatever mental health issue was there in the first place.this can also happen with the use of psychiatric drugs prescribed by the doctors, though they are getting better and better at getting them right...my heart goes out to you, i don't know what is best for you and your son, i don't know how much strength you still have to cope but as much as you possibly can you need to let your son know that you love him and want to support him and help him.if at all possible you need to sit down with him and try and look at what you both need to feel safe at the moment and how you (and other family members?) can both work towards this.one part of me feels like saying yes go and fight for him to be sectioned and helped that way but it isn't always for the best. that is something for you and your doctor to decide really because it may be what he needs to help him... but it is possible that he feels very betrayed by the idea you want to have him sectioned - i am in no way implying that you are wrong because i know you only want to be able to help him, but having come from the other side of this i am imagining how i would have felt in his situation.it is awful that the help and support that is needed isn't there for you both and it means you have a hell of a job to help your son and i wish i could actually be more help...my thoughts are with you and your son

[cherry45uk]

has your son got a social worker if so contact them and tell them if he hasn't then refer him yourself to social services they have mental health teams who are trained in dealing with problems like your son has he needs help more than you can give him so you need to be strong and pursue help for him don't stop at the first hurdle good luck

[T N]

it is definatly the has as my brothers aschizophrenic and the has does make him worse but i think u should go back to the doctor as there is help available