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Ever Wanted to Ask A Therapist a Question?

Have You Ever Wanted to Ask A Therapist a Question? Any question. Maybe about your boyfriend. Or your roommate. Or your family. Have you ever thought to yourself “Am I just weird? Or is this normal?”  Lots of people have wondered these things, and really want an answer. But often they don’t know where to begin. It’s intimidating to think about talking to a therapist. And then there’s the steps involved in finding one that’s close to you, that will see you, and that you can relate to. And then there’s the question of money, which is very important. Therapy does cost money. The average session in Denver costs around $150. If you just have a question you want answered by an expert, that’s a lot of money to spend. So Thrive Counseling offers something most therapist practice don’t: A totally free consultation. “Consultation” is just a fancy word for a friendly meeting where you get to ask anything you want, and get an honest answer. Sometimes this leads to further sessions, but sometimes not. It all depends on what you need. If you’ve ever wanted a therapist’s ear, and would like this for free, contact us for a free consultation today. We have evening and weekend hours so you don’t need to disrupt your work schedule or miss out on walking your dog.

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The Connection between Depression and Marijuana

Is there a connection between depression and Marijuana. Since weed is legal in Colorado, we get asked often about the effect of marijuana on depression, and if marijuana use can cause depression. We also get asked a lot if marijuana can help depression. Let’s look at each of these questions one at a time: Is there a connection between Depression and Marijuana? The short answer is yes, there is a connection between depression and marijuana, but it’s not clear yet if marijuana use can cause depression or make it worse. The research shows that people that smoke weed regularly have higher rates of depression than people who don’t partake. A recent study done on men showed a correlation between beginning to use marijuana early in life (early to mid-teens) and the likelihood of depression as an adult. However, a few other factors mediated this relationship. Meaning, these other things could also explain the connection: Martial status (if you’re single or coupled up) Employment status (being unemployed can lead to depression) Using other substances like tobacco and alcohol Education level (they found more education leads to less depression, probably due to better job prospects and higher income) Can using Marijuana cause Depression? The best answer from research is no, using marijuana by itself cannot cause depression. Depression is a mental health issue that’s extremely common, and usually comes and goes for people throughout their lifetime. While some people will struggle with depression throughout their lives, it’s much more common to have a depression episode due to a stressful life event, like losing a loved one, losing a job, feeling stagnant in your life or having a fallout with a close friend. Will smoking Marijuana help my Depression or make it worse? There’s some evidence that shows using marijuana can make depression worse, if you already feel depressed. This isn’t really due to the effects of weed on the brain, it’s more due to the fact that using any substance (weed, alcohol, you name it) to cope with problems can worsen depression. Using a substance to avoid uncomfortable feelings or to numb feelings tends to keep people stuck in the situation they are in, rather than help them change behaviors to feel better. Marijuana can be especially unhelpful for depression because it tends to sap people’s motivation to do much at all, and so they don’t work to change their relationships, get a better job, work on themselves, or resolve a past wound. There’s noting overtly harmful about using Marijuana if you are depressed, and occasional sue will probably not worsen depression, but doing other things like getting counseling, talking to a friend, or engaging in an activity will be much more helpful if you are struggling with depression.

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Is Marijuana Good or Bad for Anxiety?

Is Marijuana Good or Bad for Anxiety? Thrive Counseling is in Denver, so marijuana is everywhere. I think it will be legal is most states very soon, and it’s widely used in varying levels. I personally think it should be legal, and it’s not incredibly harmful. But if you struggle with anxiety, you probably want to know if using marijuana is helpful or harmful when it comes to anxiety. So what does the evidence say about Marijuana and Anxiety? In 2009 researchers from several universities teamed up to review all the evidence about Marijuana and anxiety.  They published their results in the Journal Human Psychopharmacology. Here’s what they found: There is a link between using Marijuana and Anxiety There is an undeniable link between having symptoms of clinical anxiety (like panic attacks and high general anxiety) and using marijuana. It’s generally agreed upon that Marijuana actually causes anxiety in people, but people are also trying to help their anxiety by using Marijuana. Furthermore, as people reported more Marijuana use, they also reported having higher anxiety. Some people have a strong Anxiety reaction to high doses of Marijuana Some people report having strong and almost immediate anxious reactions to using marijuana (including panic attacks). This is more common wihen people take a high dose of marijuana, or don’t use it very often. It also happens more often in stressful situations or novel situations (lie being in a new place rather than your own home). Unsurprisingly, people who have this reaction don’t ned to go on and become regular users. If you’re taking an anti-anxiety medication, Marijuana can interfere with its effectiveness There are studies that show using marijuana actually counter-acts the useful properties of anti-anxiety medications. Researchers don’t know exactly why yet, but hypothesize that the way marijuana works in the brain blocks the calming effects of these medications. Marijuana use can increase worrying and anxious thoughts There is some evidence that regular marijuana use can increase certain types of thought processes which lead ot worrying and anxious thoughts. This is called ‘Catastrphic Thinking’ and it’s the kind of thought processes which takes some negative event and then exacerbates it into an emergency ro catastrophe. For example, if you get one bad grade on a test, you might think “I’m going to fail this class and then flunk out of school and be in lots of trouble.” That’s a big leap to make. This kind of thinking is found in people who struggle with a lot of anxiety. Balancing THC and CBD can help with the anxiety-producing effects of Marijuana There are some studies that were done on rats and mice that suggests having a high dose of both TCH and CBD ameliorates the anxiety that THC along can produce. THC is the psycho-active ingredient in Marijuana. CBD is another ingredient in Marijuana, and it doesn’t make users feel ‘high’, but may have other medicinal uses. In states with Marijuana is legal, you can ask at a dispensary for ‘high CBD’ types of Marijuana to achieve this balance of ingredients. The Anxiety-Response of Marijuana appears to be worse for women than men For reasons researchers don’t understand yet, this link between anxiety and Marijuana is worse for women than for men. So if you’re a woman, be cautious about this. So, is Marijuana good or bad for anxiety? It’s pretty clear from the evidence that is you have underlying anxiety, marijuana will likely make it somewhat worse. It may initially relieve anxiety, but over time it may worsen your anxiety. When working with clients with anxiety, I usually recommend not starting to use marijuana, and if they already use it regularly, to take a short break of a month or two and see if their anxiety improves. Every person is different and there is a lot we don’t yet know about it, so it’s important to find what works for you.

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