what to say to 16 yr old depressed child who uses marijuana to feel better...?

The Truth: ...

Clinical depression is a very serious illness. People with this condition have long-term, often debilitating feelings of sadness and low self-esteem. There can be suicidal thoughts. Depression makes ordinary tasks such as going to work, cooking, cleaning, even personal hygiene, very difficult.

Once the symptoms have been evaluated by a doctor, prescription medications are routinely prescribed. There are many types of anti-depressant medications: tricyclic antidepressants, MAOs(monoamine oxidase inhibitors), SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), SNRIs (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors) and a few others.

A very recent analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Jan 2010) stated that antidepressants are only effective for those with severe depression. Those patients with mild to moderate depression had no benefits with prescribed medications. But these medications are prescribed with alarming frequency to those patients who may not benefit. Pharmaceutical companies profited $9.6 billion in 2008 on antidepressants alone. Is it about your health and well-being or about money?

To add insult to injury, the side effects from antidepressants can be serious and unacceptable for many people. Sometimes the side effects are worse than the symptoms of depression. Here are some of the side effects for each type of medication:

* Tricyclics: blurred vision, constipation, difficulty urinating,worsening of glaucoma, impaired thinking, fatigue, high blood pressure

* MAO inhibitors: weakness, dizziness, headaches, tremors, deadly if mixed with certain other drugs

* SSRIs: loss of appetite, weight loss, insomnia, nausea, nervousness, insomnia, headache, sexual problems

* SNRIs: loss of appetite, weight loss, insomnia, fatigue, headache, sexual problems, liver failure, high blood pressure

Another very concerning issue regarding these medications is that there is an increased risk of suicide, especially in younger patients. The jury is still out on this but Great Britain has banned use of antidepressants in those younger than 18, and the FDA now requires all antidepressants to carry a warning that states that they carry an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Scary!

Medical cannabis has been used for centuries to treat depression. An English clergyman named Robert Burton stated in 1621 that cannabis was helpful to treat depression. It was used for depression over 400 years ago in India. In the 17th century it was prescribed by physicians in England to treat depression. In 1890, a British physician named J.R. Reynolds reviewed the previous 30 years of use of cannabis and determined that cannabis was helpful for depression and other illnesses (asthma, certain forms of epilepsy, nerve pain, painful menstrual cramps, migraines and tics).

More recently, patient surveys show that cannabis is being used by many people to treat depression with good results. Many studies also show that patients who have depression as a result of another debilitating disease, such as cancer, HIV, multiple sclerosis or chronic pain, report less depression symptoms with the use of cannabis.

Researchers have found that low doses of cannabis increased serotonin levels in the brain, which helps to improve mood. Higher doses of cannabis tended to increase symptoms of depression because the serotonin levels were depleted. There are many conflicting scientific studies about the use of cannabis for depression. Currently medical cannabis is being used by many people for depression , but patients must be careful to use low to moderate doses so as not to cause worsening of symptoms. If patients find that symptoms are worsening, cannabis usage should be curtailed. Chronic heavy use of cannabis is not recommended, but in low doses patients may find the relief they need without the unwanted side effects from conventionally prescribed medicines. Other treatments in combination with medical cannabis may help to improve results, such as therapy or counseling, exercise, and a healthy diet with natural foods.

As always I do not encourage smoking the plant as the toxins in the smoke can damage your lungs. But there are many other ways to use the medication (vaporizers, edibles, tinctures) so that you can avoid the smoke-related side effects. And of course talking with a knowledgeable physician can help you decide if this medication would be helpful for your medical condition.

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I am also a 15 year old girl with depression that smokes marijuana. Don't just discard my answer because I'm young, please.

Face it, she's a teenager. A lot of what you say isn't going to matter much. Counseling could be helping by giving her someone to talk to, but the meds aren't helping at all. Anti-depressants are useless and a waste of money, all they do is create problems with your daughter's health just like you said.

A lot of people smoke marijuana. And I understand she's your daughter and you'd rather her not do anything like that at all, but marijuana is probably the safest thing for her to do. She could drink alcohol, which is extremely addcitive and creates so many problems inside your body. She could pop/snort different kinds of pills which can really hurt her. Or she could do much more serious drugs like heroin or crack cocaine.

Us kids aren't stupid like everyone thinks. We know the affects of everything and the "long-term consequences" and all that junk. We hear it everyday, we could write a book on it by now. But think of all the consequences of smoking marijuana. It makes you a little tired and a little hungry. You might not get hired for a job because of it, but when it comes that time it's easy to just not use it for a while until it gets out of your system. It's been scientifically proven that marijuana is not addictive in any way whatsoever. There's really nothing wrong with it. It makes you calm, relaxed and it could even be therapeutic in my opinion. I'd say let her smoke.

DONT LET HER SMOKE .. if u love ur daughter and trully want to protect her health dont let her smoke ..ur a parentt i noe how u feel !! .. if shes suffering depresion then u spice up her life.. be a "cool" mom ..do stuff like throw a party for her or invite ur daughters friends to a theme park anything go swimming ..support her hobbies !! like who noes maby shes outgoing and likes to do stuff extreme take her hiking have a daughter-mother relationshipp!!!!!!!!!! ----- i hopee she comes out of depression !!!!!! soon !!!

my opinion is smoking weed is better than chemical meds. let her smoke weed every now and then as long as its not getting interfearing with schoolwork and other important things. its a whole lot better than your daughter being miserable.

YOURE TERRIBLE. dont ask why shes depressed, you make it seem like its her fault.

trust me, i know what im saying.

it may be because she feels like shes doing everything wrong.

but either way DEFINETLY ASK HER THE REASON WHY SHE IS BECAUSE IT HARD TO CURE SOMETHING YOU DONT KNOW.

Okay, so to be totally honest here. Your her MOTHER not her "bff"

Buckle down, and dont ask us, we're not the mom here.

SMOKE THEM BROTHA MAN