Question

How substance abuse( provide specific substance or drug name) affects mental health( provide specific mental health problem that can caused due to the misuse of drug)? I need more help to know specific substance use causes specific mental health problems( HINT: Alcohol can cause PTSD. Besides that what are the other examples)?

Answer 1

Marijuana is a mixture of dried flowers and leaves of Cannabis sativa. The most important psychoactive chemical in marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), present in the resin of leaves and buds. The plant also has chemicals called cannabinoids. When it is smoked, THC, cannabinoids etc passes into the bloodstream from the lungs, which then moves to the brain and produces effects immediately. Marijuana use has been linked to risk for psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia, depression/anxiety, and other substance use disorders. Evidences show that smoking marijuana daily increases the chances of developing schizophrenia five times. The amount of the drug taken and the first use age along with genetic vulnerability influences this relationship to a great extent. Recent research has proven that people using marijuana who carry a particular variant of AKT1 gene coding for an enzyme affecting dopamine signaling in the brain’s striatum have an increased risk for schizophrenia. The striatum becomes flooded and activated with dopamine with the presence of any stimuli.