Hey Gen Z, if you want to be depressed and suicidal before you’re 30…smoke weed everyday!

Brandon Vecchiola

Click bait?  Yes, this is true.  But now that you’re here, ask yourself a question:  What are you willing to do to ensure that you have the best experience of life you possibly can?  Think…Think…Think… okay stop thinking.  If the answer wasn’t “anything I have to!” then you need to think about it some more.

Life is far from perfect. We all strive, in different ways, to seek comfort and sooth ourselves.  When the going gets tough, some of us run, some swim, some of us seek sex or drugs.  Some of us embed in community or seek out nature; some crave adventure. Some folks love to see red. 

Some of these ways of coping, dealing, and experiencing are healthier than others (that’s just a fact).  Certainly, each Human Being reserves their right to do whatever they wish with their own body (provided it doesn’t harm others).  But if they wish to have the most pleasant experience of life as possible, then we should learn to listen, albeit with some healthy skepticism, to our scientists. 

Though they look like a sinister bunch, adorned in white smocks, conducting experiments and gathering around data rolling their fingers and conjuring statistics from cauldrons of confusion.  They have valuable information to offer us.  Remember when doctors used to say that smoking was good for you?  Well, unfortunately, a similar misinformation campaign has been ongoing in our culture regarding cannabis.

Hey, don’t get me wrong, I’m not against adults recreationally, or even vocationally, enjoying drugs: it’s your life grown-ups, live it however you wanna.  It even has utility as a medicine for some people. However, I am concerned that the 20% of Canadian adolescents who used cannabis last year are not adequately informed about the dangers associated with prolonged and early drug use.  I certainly wasn’t.

To my surprise a study released last year claims that cannabis, weed, Mary-Jane, Krypto-Chronic-Kryptonite and the Killa’ Kush: might actually kill you (not a scare tactic, keep reading). 

Dr. Gabriella Gobbi MD, PhD, CSPQ is an associate professor and researcher from McGill University, and the first author of the study “Association of Cannabis Use in Adolescence and Risk of Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidality in Young Adulthood: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.” 

Dr Gobbi studies, among other things, the “short- and long-term effects of cannabis use in mood and anxiety and the potential beneficial effects of the drugs acting on the endocannabinoid system”.  Though, she has nothing good to report.  

The goal of their study was to determine if there was a long term association between cannabis use in adolescence and depression, anxiety, and suicidality in young adults (between the ages of 18 and 32).  I’ll save you the suspense, the answer is yes.  Adolescents who use cannabis at higher frequencies are more likely to experience the negative outcomes listed above in young adulthood.  There have already been studies which have linked cannabis use with high rates of depression in adolescence.  What made this study novel, was that it utilized a longitudinal study  to assessed the mental health outcomes of people who “blaze it up.”

Longitudinal studies are studies in which researches follow a group of people over time and assess the outcomes of interest at different time points.  Although this method isn’t’ as robust as experimentation in determining the causal relationship between different events, it is a valuable form of evidence when used with other research techniques.  The combined evidence from multiple lines of investigation can be used to arrive at a conclusion about some issue.

This study was a meta-analysis.  Let me explain what that is and why it’s important.  A meta-analysis gathers up several studies in a particular area, averages the findings of those studies and makes a determination as to whether or not a claim about something can be justified.  For example, a single study that claims antidepressants help alleviate depression isn’t enough evidence to support the widespread distribution of an antidepressant drug.  However, if there were 10 studies, some which said anti-depressants work, and a couple that said they didn’t work, a meta-analysis would average those findings and make a determination: on average, anti-depressants alleviate depression, and so doctors should prescribe them as a first line of defense for depression (end of example).

The authors of this study wanted to answer the question “is cannabis use in adolescence associated with depression, anxiety and suicidality in adulthood?"  But they wanted to make sure that as many factors as possible were accounted for before answering that question. So, the authors only included studies that were peer-reviewed, longitudinal, focused on cannabis, measured depression, anxiety, and suicide, assessed  younger than 18, and then again at least one more time in their adulthood. The authors also adjusted their findings for age, sex, and depression at initial assessment.  Level of parental education, socioeconomic status, alcohol use, and tobacco use were also controlled for.  All this to ask, all things being equal, what effect does weed have on your mental?

From the scientific research databases 3142 articles of interest were identified, 269 articles were reviewed, 35 were critically assessed, and 11 articles including 23 317 people were included in the final statistical analysis.  The researchers used something called an Odds Ratio to determine the likely hood of developing these disorders. An odds ratio, in this situation, tells us the likelihood of developing a mood disorder if you used cannabis in adolescence.  For people who use cannabis in adolescence, the researches determined the following:

There was no association between anxiety and cannabis use discovered.

You are 1.37 times more likely to develop depression in adulthood than nonusers

You are 1.50 times more likely to develop suicidal ideation than nonusers

You are 3.46 times more likely to attempt suicide than nonusers

Teens who started earlier in life (14-15) and those who continued using into their college years fair worse than others. However, the relationship stays the same no matter how young you are when you stop.  Interestingly, the association was not present at the 1 year follow up, but it was at the ten year follow up (something to consider).

The authors also report on significant brain changes that are linked to cannabis use.  Brain volume and density changes, neurotransmitter irregularities, and cross over effects such as increased tolerance for morphine, amphetamine, and cocaine in cannabis users. This last effect may be thought of as good depending on your perspective, but my gut tells me this is probably not ideal for healthy development.

So here we are again folks.  Some adult telling the youth not to use drugs: “if you use drugs your going to die”, “your brain on drugs is basically a fried egg in an oil pan.” Priceless, timeless advice.  Here is the thing, not everyone develops these problems.  The odds ratios are low.  However, the nearly 3.5 times likelihood of someone attempting suicide is an alarming figure.

The problem with correlational and longitudinal studies is that they cannot fully establish causation.  And even if they could, the outcome wouldn't be the same for everyone.  In science we deal with probabilities.  Some smokers never develop cancer.  That doesn't mean smoking doesn't cause cancer.  It just means, by chance, and some other factors, some individuals beat the odds.  So, It may not be that cannabis is the main causal factor.  And in fact, I don’t think it is.

Enter some informed speculation.  

Which factors drive people to daily, debilitating, and prolonged drug use?  This is the important question.  There is a strong correlation between substances of abuse and many other mental health disorders; depression, suicide, post traumatic stress, traumas of all kinds, and borderline personality disorder to name a few.  People abuse drugs to mask pain.  For me, it is as simple as that.  The problem is that drugs don't always make things better.  By altering your physiology and reducing your capacity for healthy coping, they can make things much worse.  Even those "soft drugs" like little Ol' Mary-Jane.

Then what is the solution?

Alleviate the pain!  Find a way to connect, heal and create new meaning.  Fabricate your supreme fiction (but in a good way okay?).  Engage with inspiring people more often.  If your friends are bringing you down...find new friends.  If your partner sucks...leave them.  If your job sucks...find something better.  If you need therapy...go get therapy!  Yes easy for me to say...I know.  I'm not the one who has to make the changes.  Well in fact, I have made changes like these.  And so have many other people.  They are creeping among us like day walking vampires, hiding in plain sight.  Living new lives free from the fetters of the past.  

Recovery is possible. 

Change is possible.  

It's yours for the taking!

So, I’ll ask you again: What are you willing to do to ensure that you have the best experience of life you possibly can?

Thames Valley Addiction Services 

http://adstv.on.ca/

Canadian Mental Health Association
https://ontario.cmha.ca/documents/finding-and-navigating-addiction-services-for-children-and-youth/

Craigwood Youth Services

https://www.rehab.ca/craigwood-youth-services/1100051-r

Gobbi, G., Atkin, T., Zytynski, T., Wang, S., Askari, S., Boruff, J., … Mayo, N. (2019). Association of Cannabis Use in Adolescence and Risk of Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidality in Young Adulthood: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry, 76(4), 426–434. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.4500

Driven to Suicide: Why Men Don't Seek Help for Depression

It’s true: mental illness can be difficult to talk about. Unlike most physical ailments, mental illness bears the burden of stigma that prevents many from sharing their experiences. For men, the silence of stigma can be fatal: untreated depression leads men to complete suicide at alarming rates. Indeed, men complete suicide four times more than women do.

Despite the startling statistics, many men aren’t seeking help. One third of people with a mental illness look for help, and women seek help twice as often as men do. So why don’t some men suffering from mental illnesses like depression ask for help? Masculine stereotypes about stubborn, self-sufficient men lead to jokes about men refusing to ask for directions while going somewhere, painting a picture of a man who doesn’t look for outside help. Unfortunately for men, their reasons may go beyond not wanting to ask for help: they may not even know they’re lost.

 Recent research by Call and Shafer (2018) suggests that the assessment and diagnosis of depression in men may be flawed. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), a reference guide for psychologists, lists specific criteria for a diagnosis of depression. Many of us would recognize the symptoms: someone who experiences sadness that won’t go away, disinterest in activities they used to love, and low energy. Although this is a common portrayal of depression, for many men, it misses the mark. Rather than feeling sad, research suggests that men with depression are more likely to feel angry, aggressive, and irritated, and struggle with risky behaviour or substance abuse. This experience of depression isn’t captured in reference guides, or tests given by doctors and clinicians. Men may leave their doctor’s office undiagnosed, heading to Kansas when they’re looking for Disney.

The fault doesn’t rest with men: this one we get to blame on society. Those stereotypes that prompt us to think of men as tough guys who don’t need a map are the very reason men have a hard time asking for help. Instead of being told that really, it’s okay to cry, boys told to toughen up grow into men who struggle to express sadness and pain. Unable to express their more vulnerable feelings, men externalise their depression in ways more aligned with masculine stereotypes: with anger and violence. Sadly, the effects of men’s violent expressions of depression are more likely to receive attention for their impact on women and children than the suffering experienced by the man himself.

The more aligned men are with masculine stereotypes, the less likely they are to seek help for their depression. Men experiencing the more aggressive, stereotypically masculine aspects of depression are the least likely to seek help. Researchers have noted that the more depressive symptoms one has, the more likely they are to seek help. For men, as aggressive symptoms increase, help seeking decreases. This means that the men who need help the most aren’t getting it.

Furthermore, stigma contributes to many people slamming the breaks on opening up. Under pressure from masculine stereotypes, men feel that getting help or going to therapy makes them look weak. Men are much more likely to schedule a doctor’s visit for a physical symptom than they are to check in with a psychologist. Fears of Freudian couches and probing questions  drive men away from emotion focused strategies and lead men to underreport any depressive symptoms they may have.

What can we do for men struggling with depression? Talking about our own experiences with mental illness can encourage others to speak up. In order to help men in the long run, further research needs to be done on men’s unique symptoms of depression. Such research is important for evidence-based assessment tools that accurately evaluate men’s experience of mental illness. Better assessment tools mean fewer men leaving doctor’s or clinicians offices without a proper diagnosis or plan to get help. Moving forward, awareness campaigns can help men recognize their own symptoms of depression and reduce the stigma men face when asking for help. Most importantly, by giving proper care and attention to men struggling with depression, we can hopefully prevent those same men from dying by suicide.

Perceptions of masculinity are changing. We’re moving towards a society in which men can freely express their emotions, and aren’t burdened by the weight of restrictive masculine ideals. Our next step forward should be to help men ask for help, shaking off the shackles of stigma and stereotypes. In the near future men will have maps for their mental health thanks to a growing field of research and we, as a society, can proudly declare that we aren’t in Kansas anymore.

Call, J. B., & Shafer, K. (2018). Gendered manifestations of depression and help seeking among men. American Journal of Men's Health, 12(1), 41-51. doi:http://dx.doi.org.proxy1.lib.uwo.ca/10.1177/1557988315623993
Liddon, L., Kingerlee, R., & Barry, J. A. (2018). Gender differences in preferences for psychological treatment, coping strategies, and triggers to help‐seeking. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 57(1), 42-58. 

Is Your Campus Taking Care of Your Mental Health?

1 in 5 Canadians will personally experience a mental illness in their lifetime.

This has become a popular statistic used in generating awareness about mental illness, and perhaps an indicator that society has begun to understand that mental health should be taken just as seriously as physical health. Although, while mental health/illness has started to make an appearance as a major issue across all populations it remains stigmatized due to a lack of knowledge and understanding, resulting in negative attitudes.

Post-secondary students have received a lot of attention in recent years due to alarming mental health statistics. Those listed below are from a survey of 30,000 students across 30 Canadian Institutions (universities and colleges) (American College Health Association, 2013).

      Anytime within the last 12 months:

•         56.5% of students felt overwhelming anxiety
•         37.5% of students felt so depressed it was difficult to function
•         9.5% of students seriously considered suicide (approx. 95 in 1000 students)

After numerous studies and staggering statistics mental health has become a prevalent issue across university and college campuses. Yet, the majority of students do not seek help for mental health issues such as those listed in the statistics above. This is a problem, for without treatment symptoms of a mental illness can result in impairments in everyday functioning, effecting concentration, productivity, and communication; and in most severe untreated cases, suicide. So with consequences as severe as death, why are students not seeking help for issues with their mental health? This is a puzzle that requires multiple pieces to fully understand the whole picture.

 One group of researchers tried to answer a piece of this puzzle by examining the relationship between perceived campus culture and mental health help-seeking intentions. In simpler terms, they wanted to know if a student’s perception of their campus’s (i.e. peer, student body and faculty) beliefs regarding mental health treatment would affect the student’s own attitude towards seeking mental health treatment. So, if I believe my campus thinks mental health treatment is stupid, will I believe it is stupid too and then not seek help? After having a sample of 212 undergraduate students from a large university in the United States fill out surveys, researchers found this relationship to be supported. Indicating that campus culture can indirectly effect whether a student intends on seeking help for mental health issues by influencing their personal attitudes.

So how does this study’s finding help with the problem of students not seeking help with mental health? By focusing on campus culture regarding mental health, student attitudes are targeted and consequently their behaviours towards seeking help. Displaying positive mental health beliefs through campus mental health policies and prevention/awareness programming can help do this. An example of this is mental health awareness week, which had become a common event on most campuses to generate awareness about the importance of mental health. Although, one or two weeks are a great start, more strategies are needed.

There is one organization already taking on campus culture in its own exciting way after recognizing the importance of mental health for students. Jack.org is a student led organization that has clubs/chapters in both high schools and post-secondary schools across Canada. Student volunteers hold various events on campus through out the academic year that start a conversation about mental health with the student body and faculty. This organization develops positive attitudes around mental health while also supporting mental health resources, with a larger objective to eliminate stigma both on and off campus, starting with students.

Hopefully campuses take this research and apply it, based on the understanding that it can influence students to seek mental health support by changing personal attitudes. If so, students suffering in silence will have the opportunity to improve their ability to function in various areas including work, school and relationships as well as get back to being a student.

Although, while it is important to figure out how to help the students who may be suffering in silence; further research and discussion about why mental illness has become so prevalent in post-secondary students is needed, taking on a more preventative approach.

So, now I ask you, is your campus taking care of your mental health by projecting positive beliefs towards mental health and treatment? If not, it may be time to change campuses or better yet, change YOUR campus.

Primary Source:

Chen, J. I., Romero, G. D., & Karver, M. S. (2015). The relationship of perceived campus culture to mental health help-seeking intentions. Journal of Counseling Psychology. doi:10.1037/cou000009

Statistics Source:

 American College Health Association. (2013). Canadian Reference Group Executive Summary, Spring 2013. Retrieved from http://www.cacuss.ca/health_data.htm

 Nicole Off