Posts tagged mental health
Detoxing, Paranoia and Help: Only for people who feel nuts when they smoke pot.
0April 19, 2012
I feel Paranoid when I smoke weed.
Short answer : don’t do it. You are having a strong mental health reaction to it.
What are the bad effects of marijuana? can it cause paranoia?
Working in a psychiatric ward you will very often see patients with a first onset of paranoia or other psychotic symptoms after a chronic use of cannabis. A recent research paper discussed the following hypotheses for a possible relationship:
I feel crazy when I smoke pot.
- There is a causal relationship between cannabis use and schizophrenia (psychotic disorders).
- The cannabis use precipitates schizophrenia in vulnerable persons.
- Cannabis use exacerbates schizophrenia -> symptoms are more severe.
- Patients with psychotic disorders are more liable to abuse cannabis
This Australian study found a rise in the prevalence of cannabis use and a decrease of the age at the beginning of regular cannabis consumption over the last 30 years. They found no clear increase of the prevalence of schizophrenia in Australia in this time span. We know that cannabis abuse is rather common among patients with schizophrenia, maybe sometimes a rather bad attempt to cope with psychotic symptoms or irritability or hallucinations.
So the authors of this study think that cannabis use is not the main causal factor for the incidence of schizophrenia, but seems to precipitate the onset of psychotic symptoms / paranoia for vulnerable persons. So if you have a high vulnerability for schizophrenia the abuse of cannabis will most likely lead to severe paranoia and a worse outcome!
The co-occurrence of substance abuse and schizophrenia is one of the worst problems in psychiatry! It is very difficult to offer a good treatment approach for this group of patients. Special treatment programs are available for schizophrenic patients with cannabis dependence or other types of substance abuse.
by: Martin Winkler from Web4Health
The health risks of this long-term use are:
- In some cases high quantity users can experience feelings of anxiety, depression and be seriously unwell.
- Cannabis influences driving ability.
- Smoking cannabis causes carcinogens to enter the body.
- During pregnancy, cannabis can have negative consequences for the fetus.
- Long-term use of cannabis may affect thinking, emotions and feelings.
- In some cases, long-term use of cannabis can lead to dependence and abuse.
- Cannabis can provoke a psychosis in people who are sensitive to it. More.
- Some researchers are of the opinion that:
- Cannabis is a first step to the use of hard drugs.
- Cannabis has negative effects on the immune system.
- Cannabis influences fertility.
- Cannabis causes schizophrenia. More.
- Cannabis leads to apathy and loss of interest.
- Cannabis can cause anger, especially when trying to stop using Cananabis.
by Wendy Moelker, psychologist Netherlands
DETOXING FROM MARIJUANA
What is Detoxing?
Detoxing is the way in which your body gets rid of the toxins accumulated from years of using. It happens the first few days or weeks after getting clean and/or sober. It is also the very beginning of getting used to dealing with reality and real feelings with no numbing agent.
Can there be physical effects from quitting marijuana?
In spite of numerous years of being told that there are no physiological effects from marijuana addiction, many of our recovering members have had definite withdrawal symptoms. Whether the causes are physical or psychological, the results are physical. Others have just had emotional and mental changes as they stop using their drug of choice. There is no way of telling before quitting who will be physically uncomfortable and who will not. Most members have only minor physical discomfort if any at all. This pamphlet is for those who are having trouble and wonder what’s happening to them.
Why do some effects last so long?
Unlike most other drugs, including alcohol, THC (the active chemical in marijuana) is stored in the fat cells and therefore takes longer to fully clear the body than with any other common drug. This means that some parts of the body still retain THC even after a couple of months, rather than just the couple of days or weeks for water soluble drugs.
Can this affect a drug test?
The experiences of some members have shown that if you quit marijuana and expect to take a drug test you should not go on a crash diet at the same time. Fasting, or a crash diet, can release the THC into the bloodstream very rapidly and can give a positive reading. This has happened to several of our members, but each time only with crash diets and major weight loss, not with just eating less than usual.
What are some of the more common symptoms?
By far the most common symptom of withdrawal is insomnia. This can last from a few nights of practically no sleep at all, up to a few months of occasional sleeplessness. The next most common symptom is depression (that is, if you’re not euphoric), and next are nightmares and vivid dreams. Marijuana use tends to dampen the dreaming mechanism, so that when you do get clean the dreams come back with a crash. They can be vivid color, highly emotional dreams or nightmares, even waking up then coming back to the same dream. The very vivid, every-night dreams usually don’t start for about a week or so. They last for about a month at most and then taper off. “Using” dreams (dreams involving the use of marijuana) are very common, and although they’re not as vivid or emotional as at first, they last for years and are just considered a normal part of recovery.
The fourth most common symptom is anger. This can range from a slow burning rage to constant irritability to sudden bursts of anger when least expected: anger at the world, anger at loved ones, anger at oneself, anger at being an addict and having to get clean. Emotional jags are very common, with emotions bouncing back and forth between depression, anger, and euphoria. Occasionally experienced is a feeling of fear or anxiety, a loss of the sense of humor, decreased sex drive, or increased sex drive. Most all of these symptoms fade to normal emotions by three months. Loss of concentration for the first week or month is also very common and this sometimes affects the ability to learn for a very short while.
What about physical symptoms?
The most common physical symptom is headaches. For those who have them, they can last for a few weeks up to a couple of months, with the first few days being very intense. The next most common physical symptom is night sweats, sometimes to the point of having to change night clothes. They can last from a few nights to a month or so. Sweating is one of the body’s natural ways of getting rid of toxins. Hand sweats are very common and are often accompanied by an unpleasant smell from the hands. Body odor is enough in many instances to require extra showers or baths. Coughing up phlegm is another way the body cleans itself. This can last for a few weeks to well over six months.
One third of the addicts who responded to a questionnaire on detoxing said they had eating problems for the first few days and some for up to six weeks. Their main symptoms were loss of appetite, sometimes enough to lose weight temporarily, digestion problems or cramps after eating, and nausea, occasionally enough to vomit (only for a day or two). Most of the eating problems were totally gone before the end of a month.
The next most common physical symptoms experienced were tremors or shaking and dizziness. Less frequently experienced were kidney pains, impotency, hormone changes or imbalances, low immunity or chronic fatigue, and some minor eye problems that resolved at around two months. There have been cases of addicts having more severe detox symptoms, however this is rare. For intense discomfort, see a doctor, preferably one who is experienced with detoxing.
How can I reduce discomfort?
For some of the milder detoxing symptoms, a few home remedies have proven to be useful:
Hot soaking baths can help the emotions as well as the body.
Drink plenty of water and clear liquids, just like for the flu.
Cranberry juice has been used effectively for years by recovery houses to help purify and cleanse the body.
Really excessive sweating can deplete the body of potassium, a necessary mineral. A few foods high in potassium are: melons, bananas, citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, and tomatoes
Eliminate fat from the diet until digestion is better.
Greatly reduce or eliminate caffeine until the sleep pattern is more normal or the shakes are gone.
The old fashioned remedy for insomnia, a glass of warm milk before bedtime, helps some people.
Exercise not only helps depression and other unpleasant emotions, it helps the body speed up the healing process.
by Marijuana Anonymous
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Rob Smoke on Homeless and the city: Can’t we work together?
0February 18, 2012
Rob Smoke, columnist
Although I agree that there are “homeless” individuals in Boulder who might be regarded an eyesore,
“dangerous” when tangled with drug or alcohol abuse, the overall policies the city employs to “deal” with homelessness
are harmful to the entire community — wealthy homeowner, renter, student, or homeless person. It’s not a practical solution to the problem
of having homeless people present, to ask our law enforcers to chase them around and make sure they don’t sleep
in an inconvenient public spot.
Firstly, regardless of whether one imagines the local economy to be robust, or on the decline, or making a comeback –
statistics don’t lie: the numbers of homeless people in Boulder and in the Denver metro area continue to rise. As those numbers
have risen, the number of people on the margin has risen also — people who might be a paycheck or an unemployment check
away from being without shelter.
Asking law enforcers to “do more” — or, “clean up the problem” — is unfair. It’s unfair to the enforcers, it’s unfair to the community
of residents who see the problem growing and are paying for the enforcement strategy that continues to be a failure.
Is it a failure because law enforcement is not doing their job? No, that’s simply not the case — and in fact, it would be absurd
to negatively assess the police department for the job they are doing when people become homeless for a wide variety of reasons –
including injury or illness, job loss, or the entire variety of issues that homeless individuals have which include mental health issues
and substance abuse issues.
Peter Maurin, founder of the “Catholic Worker” movement, which established dozens of working community farms to feed the poor
in the 1930′s, wrote extensively in prose poem digest form of his belief that “What we give to the poor for Christ’s sake is what we carry with us
when we die.”
He wrote: “In the first centuries of Christianity, the hungry were fed at a personal sacrifice, the naked were clothed at a personal sacrifice,
the homeless were sheltered at a personal sacrifice. And because the poor were fed, clothed and sheltered at a personal sacrifice, the pagans
used to say about the Christians, “See how they love each other.”"
He believed that if only we expand our understanding, shift our perspective, we might get what the Pagan Greeks understood –
that “the poor are “the ambassadors of the gods”, and that to become poor is to become an Ambassador of God.
It’s sad to see the Boulder city council sit around and discuss the merits of ”camping tickets” or other measures
designed to control the behavior of ”the unwanted”, whilst all possible helpful solutions are either postponed or ignored.
I say, let’s get it together and accomplish a set of basic goals related to homelessness in our area, a problem
that needs to be addressed directly with specific actions that include creating more low-cost housing and temporary solutions
that lower the level of personal risk for people who do become homeless, and also other projects — like farms created
in the “Catholic worker” model which helped to feed thousands of people in need.
It’s not about advocacy for the homeless, it’s about honoring the basic human rights of people who do find themselves in poverty.
Rob Smoke
RS
Rob Smoke was the chairman of the Boulder City Council Human relations committee until he talked about “girls ” on his my space page. He is a columnist for Boulder Channel 1 news
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CU begins counseling online Boulder
0October 6, 2011
CU EXPANDS MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
WITH INTERACTIVE ONLINE SCREENINGS
The University of Colorado Boulder next week will become the first campus in the state to offer the Interactive Screening Program, allowing students to screen their mental health online and anonymously with support from a counselor.
The program rollout on Oct. 9 comes three days after National Depression Screening Day, and after a pilot of the initiative was held last spring on campus.
The Interactive Screening Program was developed specifically for college students by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and will be administered at CU-Boulder by Counseling and Psychological Services.
“Some of our most distressed students aren’t necessarily coming in for support,” said CU-Boulder Suicide Prevention Coordinator Amy Robertson. “Part of what’s making it hard for them to seek treatment is a sense of hopelessness. This well-tested national program addresses that barrier and innovatively uses technology as a bridge for students to our services.”
Campus mental health professionals initiate the interactive screenings by identifying groups of potentially at-risk students and e-mailing them invitations to complete a 10-minute questionnaire. A counselor then sends the screening results to the respondent with a personalized message.
“When issues that are particularly distressing — like suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, eating disorders or relationship problems — emerge from the screening, we may inform the student about our services or offer an appointment,” said Robertson. “If they’re not ready, we continue a dialogue with them.”
During the CU-Boulder pilot of the Interactive Screening Program, Robertson targeted students who were on academic probation and e-mailed 225 invitations. More than 20 people, or about 10 percent of the group, filled out the survey — a response rate that is on par with national averages when it comes to depression screenings.
Robertson says CU-Boulder’s Counseling and Psychological Services will use what it learns over time from the program to expand its outreach to potentially at-risk students, including other groups that might feel isolated such as first-year, transfer and graduate students. The screening process will be initiated every two to four weeks.
The Interactive Screening Program is in place at 30 college and university campuses across the nation including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Cornell University.
Symptoms of depression can include:
– Persistent sad, anxious or empty mood
– Feelings of guilt, worthlessness or helplessness
– Loss of interest or pleasure in ordinary activities
– Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
– Restlessness or irritability
– Inability to sleep or sleeping too much
– Changes in appetite or weight
– Unexplained aches and pains
“If you are feeling suicidal, or need to get help for a friend who is feeling suicidal, contact CU-Boulder’s Counseling and Psychological Services,” said Robertson. Walk-in hours are held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Support by phone also is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and can be accessed by calling 303-492-6766. If it is after hours, dial “2” to be connected with a mental health professional.
CU-Boulder students are eligible for up to six free sessions per academic year through Counseling and Psychological Services.
For more information on CU-Boulder’s Counseling and Psychological Services visit https://counseling.colorado.edu/.
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Boulder County to invest $1-million in community health
0September 27, 2011
by Ron Baird, news editor
in News
Beginning Oct. 1, Boulder County will invest more than $1 million throughout the next two years in community-based mental health and substance abuse services, community resource centers, dental care, and access to quality child care.
Later this year, funding will include additional resources for emergency services as well as community-based transition age youth services, crisis housing services, parent education and life skills services, and job training and employment support.
Boulder County is investing in priority areas identified through a collaborative, community-wide process built on past strategic planning efforts that will support the community’s safety net by preventing greater dislocation and costlier services for community members.
Agencies receiving funding are: Mental Health Partners ($400,000 for mental health and substance abuse services), Sister Carmen Community Center ($200,000 for Community Resource Center Services), City of Boulder Family Resource Schools ($170,000 for Family Resource School Services), Clinica Family Health Services ($35,000 for dental health services), Dental Aid ($35,000 for dental health services), and the Early Childhood Council of Boulder County ($60,000 for quality child care).
This is the second round of funding provided by the Boulder County Temporary Safety Net tax initiative, or Ballot Initiative 1A, that was passed in last November’s election. The five-year property tax back fills deficiencies in state funding for county human services programs and supports contracts with nonprofit agencies maintaining a safety net for families and children in Boulder County.
“We are fortunate to have the support of the community to deal with the significant impacts of the economic downturn,” said Frank Alexander, Director of Boulder County’s Department of Housing and Human Services. “Only by funding critical services that have suffered serious cuts and simultaneously addressing these critical safety net gaps that prevent greater family crises can we deal with the increased need in community programs with very limited funding.”
Just as human services agencies throughout Boulder County are experiencing tremendous growth in caseloads and increased demand for services, state and federal funding sources have been declining significantly. The funding ensures these critical services continue and that community members are served.
The first round of funding – $503,000 deployed in February – has increased the availability of supported child care, provided support to local nonprofit organizations that provide family and individual crisis services, supported child welfare, child protection and early intervention practices, and has ensured timely access to food assistance, medical care, and essential benefits.
“As human service agencies throughout Boulder County have been stressed to meet the demands of our community during this economic downturn, the Temporary Human Services funds have been essential in our efforts to support families and prevent the need for costlier, future interventions,” County Commissioner Cindy Domenico said.
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CU RESEARCHERS DEVELOP NEW SOFTWARE TO ADVANCE BRAIN IMAGE RESEARCH
0June 26, 2011
A University of Colorado Boulder research team has developed a new software program allowing neuroscientists to produce single brain images pulled from hundreds of individual studies, trimming weeks and even months from what can be a tedious, time-consuming research process.
The development of noninvasive neuroimaging techniques such as functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, spurred a huge amount of scientific research and led to substantial advances in the understanding of the human brain and cognitive function. However, instead of having too little data, researchers are besieged with too much, according to Tal Yarkoni, a postdoctoral fellow in CU-Boulder’s psychology and neuroscience department.
The new software developed by Yarkoni and his colleagues can be programmed to comb scientific literature for published articles relevant to a particular topic, and then to extract all of the brain scan images from those articles. Using a statistical process called “meta-analysis,” researchers are then able to produce a consensus “brain activation image” reflecting hundreds of studies at a time.
“Because the new approach is entirely automated, it can analyze hundreds of different experimental tasks or mental states nearly instantaneously instead of requiring researchers to spend weeks or months conducting just one analysis,” said Yarkoni.
Yarkoni is the lead author on a paper introducing the new approach to analyzing brain imaging data that appears in the June 26 edition of the journal Nature Methods. Russell Poldrack of the University of Texas at Austin, Thomas Nichols of the University of Warwick in England, David Van Essen of Washington University in St. Louis and Tor Wager of CU-Boulder contributed to the paper.
Brain scanning techniques such as fMRI have revolutionized scientists’ understanding of the human mind by allowing researchers to peer deep into people’s brains as they engage in mental activities as diverse as reciting numbers, making financial decisions or simply daydreaming. But interpreting the results of brain imaging studies is often more difficult, according to Yarkoni.
“There’s often the perception that what we’re doing when we scan someone’s brain is literally seeing their thoughts and feelings in action, but it’s actually much more complicated,” Yarkoni said. “The colorful images we see are really just estimates, because each study gives us a somewhat different picture. It’s only by combining the results of many different studies that we get a really clear picture of what’s going on.”
The ability to look at many different mental states simultaneously allows researchers to ask interesting new questions. For instance, researchers can pick out a specific brain region they’re interested in and determine which mental states are most likely to produce activation in that region, he said. Or they can calculate how likely a person is to be performing a particular task given their pattern of brain activity.
In their study, the research team was able to distinguish people who were experiencing physical pain during brain scanning from people who were performing a difficult memory task or viewing emotional pictures with nearly 80 percent accuracy. The team expects performance levels to improve as their software develops, and believes their tools will improve researchers’ ability to decode mental states from brain activity.
“We don’t expect to be able to tell what people are thinking or feeling at a very detailed level,” Yarkoni said. “But we think we’ll be able to distinguish relatively broad mental states from one another. And we’re hopeful that might even eventually extend to mental health disorders, so that these tools will be useful for clinical diagnosis.”
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Boulder police negotiate peaceful end to standoff
0April 4, 2011
A man who threatened to kill himself with a gun surrendered peacefully to Boulder police this evening. He is in custody at the Boulder County Jail, and will undergo a mental health evaluation. Police are not releasing his identity.
The incident began around 3:20 p.m. on April 4. A female friend called police and told dispatchers that the man was suicidal and that he was armed with a handgun outside Boulder Community Hospital
The Boulder Police SWAT Team arrived and isolated the suspect near a wall at the northeast corner of the hospital. Police could see that the man did have a weapon, which he pointed at his head a number of times during the standoff.
SWAT crisis negotiators established a rapport with the man and spoke with him throughout the afternoon and evening and attempted to convince him to surrender peacefully. Although the man was armed, he never threatened police or anyone else. Around 7:00 this evening, he agreed to surrender his weapon and was taken into custody without incident.
The suspect will face misdemeanor charges of Disorderly Conduct and Unlawful Carrying of a Concealed Weapon.
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Boulder Police now investigate false reporting Original pancakes
0March 7, 2011
by Boulder Channel 1
in News
March 7 2011 Police are investigating ” all angles” says police chief Mark Beckner including false reporting for the sake of revenge.
In an email from Boulder Police Chief Mark Beckner he said that Boulder PD will look at all angles of this case.Police and District attorneys do not take kindly to false reporting , especially a serious nature like this. They have been know to vigorously prosecute women who file false sexual harassment charges. But it is not clear if any of her allegations are true.
In a similar case from December 2010 Boulder Police arrested a woman who alleged sexual harassment, atempted murder and more from her fiance. She had filed multiple cases. in several jurisdictions. Colorado form a joint task force in this case .The Boulder DA are now prosecuting her and her attornies for knowingly initiating a campaign of terror and false reporting. The same fate could be awaiting Virgie Baker.
According to a Denver Post Reporter. “this goes on all of the time, ( women filing false reports) but the media follows stories which blow up”
However, if it is true and all four workers did assault this women, then the consequence will be dire .
Meanwhile, three like cooks are being held by ICE for using false IDs to gain work in the USA. A fourth is being sought but is presumed to be back in Mexico.
Original Pancake House sexual assault charges may be case of false reporting by alcoholic drug addicted mentally unstable female employee disgruntled over termination
by Boulder Channel 1 news
March 6 2011 Sources close to the investigation tell Boulder Channel 1 news that the women involved in this case
” has a history of filing law suits against people and companies that she does not like. According to criminal back round check she also has mental health problems and problems with alcohol. This does not preclude that her allegations are not true. If they are and proven in court, serious consequences may befall the 3 line cooks.
Boulder channel One new will continue this investigation The Boulder DA and PD are looking into this possible false reporting.
Boulder police arrest three sexual assault suspects at the Original Pancake House
by Ron Baird News editor
March 5 2011 Plainclothes detectives arrested three sexual assault suspects this morning, March 5, 2011. The suspects were arrested without incident at the Original Pancake House, 2600 Canyon Boulevard, where the suspects worked.
A former employee of the Original Pancake House reported that, while she worked there in 2009, four male employees repeatedly inappropriately touched her and harassed her and that complaints to the owner about the behavior were ignored. Three of those employees were arrested today. There is a fourth suspect who continues to be investigated.
All three of the suspects arrested today face numerous charges including Unlawful Sexual Contact with Force, a class 4 felony; Identity Theft, a class 4 felony; and Unlawful Sexual Contact with Extraordinary Risk, a class 1 misdemeanor. Police believe all three were working under false identies.
Following is the list of those arrested:
Jose Escobar, DOB 12/20/81. This suspect also goes by the name of Jose Escobar-Herrera, DOB 3/02/80.
Jose Luis Gonzalez, DOB 8/25/81
Rigoberto Gonzalez-Gonzalez, DOB 3/27/83. This suspect also goes by the name of Ruperto Gonzalez, DOB 3/17/83.
Police took the suspects to the Boulder County Jail, where they will be seen by a judge on Sunday. No bail is set at this time.
Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Detective Colleen Wilcox at 303-441-4483. Those who have information but wish to remain anonymous may contact the Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or 1-800-444-3776. Tips may also be submitted via the Crime Stoppers website at www.crimeshurt.com. Those submitting tips through Crime Stoppers that lead to the arrest and filing of charges on a suspect(s) may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000 from Crime Stoppers.
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UPDATE: FOURMILE CANYON FIRE Boulder Mental Health on scene
0September 14, 2010
CLARIFICATION: At this time, mental health counselors and victim advocates are available in the reopened areas of the burn area for returning residents who want counseling and support services. The Mental Health Center for Boulder and Broomfield Counties has established a resource table near each of the security check points leading into the opened areas.
The following locations, which have been identified as future counseling centers, remain closed:
• Fourmile Canyon, Salina Little Church of the Pines
• Sunshine Fire Station
• Gold Hill Community Center
Victim Advocate services are also available at the Assistance Center, Boulder County Sundquist Building, 3482 N. Broadway (Iris and Broadway), Boulder. The assistance center is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Call 303-441-3560 for more information.
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Boulder Manor
0February 27, 2010
Boulder Manor is a top rated retirement or elder care assisted living community. the nursing accepts patients with both medicare or medicaid and their primary goal is to provide rehabilitation for their patients and get them back to their home. They also provide long term care, physical therapy and many other great services and activities.
4685 Baseline Rd.
Boulder, CO 80303
Phone: (303) 494-0535
