HealthyMind

The man with the broken bone gets sympathy; the person with the broken mind goes unseen.

[be-havioralhealth]

Can cannabis induce, psychosis and cause schizophrenia?

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Although I do like this video, I’m here to iron a few things out. I have a bachelors degree in horticulture with a minor in biochemistry who studied cannabis for four ish years and some change, worked in the cannabis industry for 2 years. I also have my BSN-RN and my specialty is substance used disorders, acute detox and psych. While the person in this video highlights a legitimate 20-year Danish registry study, its overall claim is heavily misconstruing because it combines two different ideas together; a specific clinical conversion rate and a general population risk. The 47.4% figure applies strictly to a high-risk subcategory of individuals who were already hospitalized for severe, cannabis-induced psychotic emergencies requiring immediate medical intervention (not standard or recreational users.) The video’s explanation of dopamine mechanics in the brain, I.e. specifically how THC floods the striatum in the brain to trigger what is called In psychiatric nursing and neurobiology, "aberrant salience," this is where the brain assigns false significance to random stimuli (red =bad, blue=good)

With this discussion of risk multipliers like high-potency THC molecules, daily use, and genetic markers like AKT1, is grounded in valid epidemiological and molecular biology research like the landmark EU-GEI study. CBD acts as a negative allosteric modulator at CB1 receptors that historically buffered high THC activity. Modern concentrated products (dabs, waxes, high-THC flower) eliminate this botanical check, resulting in unchecked CB1 stimulation that lowers the threshold for acute psychotic break in vulnerable central nervous systems.

However, medical consensus views cannabis primarily as an environmental trigger or catalyst rather than a sole cause. High-potency cannabis generally unmasks an underlying genetic or neurological predisposition to schizophrenia and/or Bipolar is used as self-medication during the early prodromal phase before formal diagnosis, which means, that while an emergency room visit for cannabis induced psychosis is a strong warning sign for future illness. From a clinical diagnostic perspective, schizophrenia is a polygenic, neurodevelopmental disorder, not a simple drug-induced toxicity, it is a gene-environment interaction. The claim that cannabis converts someone into being schizophrenic in 47.4% of cases misinterprets a seminal Danish registry study; this figure represents a longitudinal conversion rate strictly within a cohort already presenting to emergency or inpatient psychiatric care with acute, full-blown cannabis-induced psychosis. It does not reflect general population incidence among recreational users.

Phytocannabinoids act primarily as an environmental catalyst that unmasks latent genetic risk or accelerates the onset of the prodromal phase. Prodromal individuals often experience early neurochemical shifts and distress(severe childhood trauma/abuse) leading them to self-medicate with high-potency THC prior to their first overt clinical break.

This video highlights real neurochemical risks regarding modern high-potency THC and dopaminergic pathways, but it miscommunicates the risk profile. An emergency presentation for cannabis-induced psychosis is a major red flag for underlying neurobiological vulnerability, but cannabis itself acts as an unmasking trigger in pre-disposed neural circuits rather than a direct, universal cause of schizophrenia.

[be-havioralhealth]

[be-havioralhealth]

[be-havioralhealth]

Thoughts about Interiors and Mental Health.

Interior design is something I haven't had time to think about for a while now. Interior design is something that is a part of our everyday lives, and it is also something that is completely overlooked in most cases until you come across a totally unique indoor place that is calming or not so calming, depending on the situation or design elements. Why is interior design so important? Why should I care? because it can influence the way you think and feel, that's why. Interior design should have a place, especially in your home or where you spend most of your time, wherever you may live, hopefully long enough to realize this simple yet complex idea that is interior design/architecture. Color, for starts, has an impact on your unconscious psychology, it can influence the way a space makes you feel and how you behave. But don't take my word for it, look it up. at least once. It sets the tone or atmosphere in which you reside.

So if interior design influences people so much, you would think that psychiatric hospitals would take into consideration that they should as well think that maybe interior design is something to consider while also making the spaces safe for people experiencing psychosis/in mental distress. It can make a place feel safe and someone feel at home or home-like. Interior design can also probably lessen the chance someone will behave poorly or violently if the atmosphere is soothing. How though can you make a space safe but also tasteful? That "simple" question has yet to be answered, I think. Some may say, why? what's the point in all of this? They're just crazy or insane, it's not like they'll notice anyway.

To which I'll say... that's not the point, the point is that it has an impact, an impact that isn't exactly outright noticed but seen in a different perspective from someone who is in fact in psychosis or experiencing a mental health crisis.

and example would be when someone takes a hallucinogen or psychedelic compound, they notice their surroundings more than a person who is sober, because you are in fact opening a critical period in a person's brain, where, they are taking-in and learning from their surroundings way more than the average person. Most, if not all of the time, you will notice if your environment is pleasant or unpleasant. Why? because humans naturally like order, well most of us do. We enjoy clean, organized spaces, that are well kept, and cared for. no? not everyone, because I cannot speak for the entirety of humanity, but I would like to think most of us do enjoy these things.

In this critical period, where we are taking-in our surrounding environment says a lot about where we are and how are mind is. I like to think of it as a sliding scale or spectrum. I Believe it to be a reflection of our unconscious mind; our external environment is a reflection of our internal state of being. Hallucinogens and psychedelics help us identify these things in our environment because of this critical (learning) period that is not open(because of psychedelics), if taken under the right conditions. In a therapeutic setting. Yes, in a therapeutic setting. The right context, might I say.

We idenify and take notice that we live in a layered system, and by that I mean everything from the wall paint, to the lighting fixtures, the light bulbs, to the furniture, all reside in this layered system. There is also the fact we take into account (in this altered state) of our social experiences, and how we are doing socially, where we stand within our immediate circle as well as our external environment.

Back to why interior design is important. this is exactly why interior design is so important because when your environment is calm, orderly, and cutter free, we then can think freely and more about our place in the world instead of living in a constant state of survival, or something like it at least. This is just my thought process, not actual fact at this point, this is just my own experiences and what I have observed in my 30 years of life.

[be-havioralhealth]

[be-havioralhealth]

What is that one picture that describes the lowest point in your life?

[be-havioralhealth]

[be-havioralhealth]

Cannabis and mental health..

[be-havioralhealth]

Abundance, mindset versus scarcity mindset.

It is estimated that most people tend to adopt a scarcity mindset in various aspects of life, leading them to believe that resources, opportunities, or success are limited. This mindset is especially prevalent in highly competitive environments, such as workplaces and professional relationships, where individuals may feel the need to guard their achievements or fear sharing credit. Unfortunately, corporate culture often fosters this scarcity thinking, encouraging employees to see others as competitors rather than collaborators.

On the other hand, people with an abundance mindset—who believe there are enough opportunities and resources for everyone—tend to be more open, innovative, and willing to collaborate. Although this mindset fosters personal growth and healthy relationships, it requires conscious effort and emotional maturity to develop. Many individuals are naturally inclined toward scarcity thinking, as fear of missing out or losing resources drives them toward defensive or competitive behaviors.

Unfortunately, most of society operates with some degree of scarcity thinking, which can explain why resistance or negativity toward others’ success is common. However, individuals like the dean of my college, likely have cultivated an abundance mindset, recognizing that encouraging others does not diminish their own success but instead contributes to a larger shared purpose and impact (as in your case, improving mental health).

The shift from scarcity to abundance thinking is possible but takes consistent practice, involving gratitude, empathy, and seeing success as something achievable for everyone. The Dean embodies this mindset, which explains her encouragement and support for my goals rather than viewing my ambitions as a threat. Embracing this way of thinking yourself will further align you with those who share a similar outlook, reducing the impact of negativity or resistance you might encounter elsewhere.

[be-havioralhealth]

“Break the stigma by starting that conversation”

1: education and awarenes

2: use respectful language

3: foster open dialogue

4: advocate for access to care

5: encourage early intervention

6: workplace initiatives

7: challenge discrimination

8: empower recovery stories

9: community and peer support

10:  leverage social media

[be-havioralhealth]

Autobiography: “I Wish I Knew”

A struggle with bipolar 1, complex PTSD, dyslexia, and ADHD. Stories about substance use, drug abuse, manic episodes, suicidal ideations and my path to becoming a Nurse practitioner in psychiatry to help those who struggle with the same issues, or for family members who wish to understand those who struggle with these issues. A story about love and compassion, friends, and acquaintances. Job loss, near homelessness, and back again. I Wish I Knew is about things you wish you had known and the decisions you wish you were aware of, compared to the knowledge you know now.

Would you read this book?

[be-havioralhealth]

What about developing a program in psychology were talk therapy takes place in a greenhouse within an inpatient setting.

[be-havioralhealth]

BP1 over here, I was dx 3 years ago taking my medication routinely for myself, my family, and my friends so I don’t ruin my life from another episode. Have I had weight gain, yes, slight tremors, yes. I fight the exhaustion but was also re-prescribed my adhd medication for my adhd which helped the brain fog and fatigue which was kind of my psych to do for me. The point being bp1, bp2, schizophrenia etc are all chronic mental health conditions that require medication to be able to stabilize a person.

My psychiatrist listens to me and has adjusted my dosages until I find an equilibrium. I have little to no side effects and I believe this can be achieved if you find the right cocktail that fits your brain chemistry. This is different from person to person. Trust is a two-way street between the medical team and the patient, it also requires empathy and listening to what the person is experiencing and how to make life the most comfortable for that person experiencing any mental health disorder.

Medication is one part but lifestyle changes and talk therapy once in awhile is also another to keep one’s mind in check. Medication is just a tool in your tool belt. You stay stable long enough you might just end up being on the lowest dose but those mental health conditions will never go away and I don’t think many of us come to terms with that.

Does a diabetic type 1 stop taking insulin because they believe they don’t have diabetes anymore? They will always have to take their medication the difference is in mental health you risk losing touch with reality without those neurochemicals/neurotransmitters from medication. Id have to admit I was lucky to have such a good support system and I trust my medical team many don’t have these two crucial things.

[be-havioralhealth]

World Mental Health Day was six days ago. Today I had lunch with my friend’s mom who committed suicide eight months ago. We talked for hours about them, then about other things, then back to talking about them. I knew this friend for twelve years. I didn’t know then, what I know now about potential signs of suicide.

I tried to convince them that they didn’t have to live with these thoughts, that those thoughts could be resolved through treatment, that they weren’t normal thoughts to have, that with the right treatment they could live without them. Talk therapy, medication, mediation, exercise, gaining weight(because they were wasting away getting thinner and thinner each day). But their depression was like a void, a black hole in some way, the gravity so intense it made others closest to them just as sad and exhausted as they were.

We fixate on these thoughts, after so much time has passed, these thoughts become a pattern, it feels normal to obsess about this void, this black hole, the gravity these thoughts have. The future becomes non-existent because we start surviving. Surviving each day from ourselves, and the truth is, after so much time living in this constant inescapable void, you adapt, it becomes some sense of normalcy. And you’ve talked about it so many times, the people that love you the most won’t, don’t, and can’t listen anymore.

You know this. It’s a broken record, playing over and over again, that people don’t want to hear anymore. Not that they don’t care but because they need to focus on something else because nobody can live in that constant state, that void, that gravity very long. But some do, so they learn to hide it, resist talking to others about it, because they know nobody really wants to hear about it. That’s why we pay therapists and psychiatrist to listen, because the gravity of those thoughts are exhausting. It’s a fair exchange and they truly care, that’s why hopefully they chose to do what they chose to do.

We beg these people to seek treatment, but these health professionals are booked out a month, two months, three, in advanced. By the time you get to see them, these feelings and thoughts have passed, so you cancel your appointment you waited so long to have. Because you must be getting better, it’s a phase. Until it happens again which always happens. But you canceled, now you must wait again. Yet people wait, and wait, and wait to make another appointment until it’s too late. This is even harder when one is in the middle of this black hole, that we’ve created.

Mental health professionals exist for this reason—they provide space when it feels like no one else can. But the reality of our healthcare system makes it hard to access help. With appointments often booked months in advance, people cancel when they feel a bit better, thinking they don’t need help anymore—until the cycle repeats. And by the time they try again, it’s too late.

Many hesitate to seek care from hospitals, fearing outdated practices or stigma.

Mental health treatment should feel as safe and accessible as treatment for a broken bone—where dignity and respect are given freely. But too often, mental illness still carries labels that dehumanize. The man with the broken bone gets sympathy; the person with the broken mind goes unseen.

It’s important that we recognize the signs of

someone in crisis:

1. Giving away personal belongings

2. Expressing hopelessness

3. Saying things like, “I wish I weren’t here” or “The world would be better off without me”

4. Showing no thoughts or plans for the future

Be kind. Mental illness is not a choice, and many people are struggling with illnesses that remain invisible. Awareness, empathy, and timely support can make all the difference.