Does Marijuana Make Depression Worse?

Episodes of depression can be debilitating, not just creating a consistent, pervasive feeling of low mood but also compromising a person’s energy or motivation to address the situation. Those living with depression and who experience frequent or intense episodes of major depressive disorder (MDD) may turn to any possible solutions to ease these challenging feelings, with the use of addictive substances like marijuana often being used in an attempt to self-medicate. However, consistent use or reliance on marijuana to ease symptoms of depression can often make depression worse, resulting in the need for dedicated depression and substance use treatment programs like those at Hawaii Island Recovery. 

Depression is difficult to overcome, and many people can feel trapped in periods of low mood and hopelessness. Finding any relief can be incredibly alluring, even if an individual is aware that certain behaviors or substances may have other negative effects. However, the use of marijuana to address feelings of depression and the associated negative effects can be uniquely complicated to address due to pervasive misconceptions, social acceptance, and availability of the drug across communities.

Consistent pushes for legality, as well as medical marijuana becoming normalized, can all affect a person’s perception of the drug. These perceptions can lead to unhealthy expectations surrounding the drug. Marijuana is not a harmless drug, especially when trying to address depression, and self-medicating with marijuana can not just make depression worse but introduce a plethora of new challenges to overcome. 

Addictive substances like marijuana are often used to “feel good,” forcing the brain to push down negative feelings in favor of more positive ones through the release of dopamine in the brain. However, these short-term solutions often have long-term consequences and can make depression worse over time and with repeated use. Despite the challenges that marijuana can present, there are always opportunities to explore new and effective treatments, with Hawaii Island Recovery ready to help each person begin their journey to overcoming depression and marijuana use. 

Using marijuana to address feelings of depression is a short-term solution to an overall long-term challenge. Marijuana use can not just make depression worse in its symptoms but also compromise other areas of healing, necessitating the need for professional and holistic treatment. 

The use of marijuana in an attempt to address symptoms of depression can compromise a person’s ability to self-regulate their emotional state. As the body and mind become reliant on the use of marijuana, especially resulting from chronic use, it can become more and more difficult to address these difficult feelings on one’s own, even exacerbating their effects when the effects of marijuana subside. 

Depression can be debilitating, and the use of marijuana pushes down and avoids these feelings rather than empowering a person to confront and overcome them. This approach to addressing the symptoms of depression can leave an individual still misunderstanding the effects of depression or its triggers, making it difficult to truly address the root of the stresses each person faces daily. Likewise, marijuana can also replace a person’s otherwise effective or necessary coping strategies, making it difficult to develop new, healthy coping strategies, grounding techniques, self-care routines, and more necessary to address depression effectively. 

As an individual continues to engage with marijuana to cope with the effects of depression, the brain may begin to associate its use with a positive outcome. However, this reliance on marijuana can make depression worse by creating an expected cycle of use. An individual may begin to use marijuana not just to address depression more frequently but may also explore other situations where marijuana may purport to be a potential solution. 

Consistent use can also quickly develop into an addiction, complete with its withdrawal symptoms when the effects of marijuana wear off or when marijuana is not available. One of these symptoms is depression itself, compounding these challenges and leaving an individual with even more intense feelings of low mood when unable to engage with marijuana, creating a dangerous cycle of use and the development of co-occurring disorders that demand professional treatment to address. 

While marijuana can make depression worse and facilitate further challenges, treatment is always possible. Understanding not just how marijuana affects depression but also how it may impede a person’s ability to confront underlying factors that may inform depression like stress, triggers, traumatic experiences, and more is part of an effective healing journey. Likewise, the use of marijuana to address depression may also be accompanied by other self-destructive coping strategies, such as the use of alcohol, necessitating professional treatment to address each of these challenges in tandem. 

Hawaii Island Recovery’s drug rehab programs in Hawaii explore the effects of marijuana and depression and how they interact with each other to create a truly transformative and comprehensive approach to treatment and sobriety. Not only is it important to stop the use of marijuana to cope with the effects of depression but also to replace these strategies with new, healthier alternatives for a sober and healthy lifestyle. 

Marijuana and depression can be intimately linked, and understanding this connection is necessary for effective treatment and healing. Hawaii Island Recovery’s drug rehab programs in Hawaii can help you explore marijuana addiction, depression, and their continued effects on each other for a comprehensive and effective approach to healing. We combine proven therapeutic practices with a community of peers and professionals to address personal needs as well as social and spiritual healing opportunities. We also offer education and support to navigate withdrawal from marijuana while building new and healthier coping strategies. For more information on how we can help you begin your journey of healing from depression and marijuana abuse, call to speak to us today at (866) 390-5070.