Dr. Roxanne Dryden-Edwards is an adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist. She is a former Chair of the Committee on Developmental Disabilities for the American Psychiatric Association, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and Medical Director of the National Center for Children and Families in Bethesda, Maryland.
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.
Marijuana is a plant whose scientific name is Cannabis sativa. Its leaves,
seeds, stems, and/or roots are consumed by marijuana users for the purpose of
feeling intoxicated ("high"). Although the plant contains hundreds of compounds,
the one that has major intoxicating effects is called tetrahydrocannibinol (THC). Although medical marijuana is legal in a few states of
the United States, it is one of many illegal drugs in most jurisdictions.
Specifically, laws in most states deem it illegal to engage in possession of
marijuana, either for the purpose of your own use or for the purpose of
distributing it to others.
Marijuana is the most commonly abused illegal substance worldwide. While the number of people who use marijuana at
any one time does not seem to have increased in the past decade, the number of
people who have a marijuana-related disorder has increased significantly. This
seems to be particularly true for elderly individuals as well as for young
Hispanic and African-American adults. In teens, boys remain
more likely than girls to smoke or otherwise use marijuana. Native-American
adolescents seem to be the ethnic group most vulnerable to engage in recent
marijuana use, and Asian adolescents tend to be the least likely.
What is medical marijuana? How is medical marijuana prescribed?
Medical marijuana, also called marinol (Dronabinol), is a synthetic form of
marijuana. It comes in 2.5 mg, 5 mg, and 10 mg capsules and is used for the
treatment of poor appetite and food intake (anorexia) with weight loss in
people with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and for the nausea and
vomiting due to cancer chemotherapy in individuals who have not responded
adequately to usual treatments for those symptoms. When used for appetite
stimulation, marinol is usually dosed at 2.5 mg once or twice per day before
lunch, dinner, and/or bedtime. When it is being prescribed to quell nausea, it is
usually prescribed at 5 mg, one to three hours before a chemotherapy treatment
and every two to four hours after chemotherapy, up to six doses per day.
The most common physical side effects of marinol include asthenia (lack of
energy), stomach upset, nausea, vomiting, racing heart rate, facial flushing,
and dizziness. The most common psychological side effects of marinol include
anxiety, sleepiness, confusion, hallucinations, and paranoia.
This medication should therefore be used with caution in persons who have a
mental-health diagnosis, particularly depression, mood swings, schizophrenia, or
substance abuse. When prescribed for those people, the individual is usually
under the care of a psychiatrist.
Anxiety is a feeling of apprehension and fear characterized by physical symptoms. Anxiety disorders are serious medical illnesses that affect approximately 19 million American adults.
Stress occurs when forces from the outside world impinge on the individual. Stress is a normal part of life. However, over-stress, can be harmful. There is now speculation, as well as some evidence, that points to the abnormal stress responses as being involved in causing various diseases or conditions.
Heart attack happens when a blood clot completely obstructs a coronary
artery supplying blood to the heart muscle. A heart attack can cause chest pain, heart failure, and electrical
instability of the heart.
Depression is an illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts and affects the way a person eats and sleeps, the way one feels about oneself, and the way one thinks about things. The principal types of depression are major depression, dysthymia, and bipolar disease (also called manic-depressive disease).
Schizophrenia is a disabling brain disorder that may cause hallucinations and delusions and affect a person's ability to communicate and pay attention. Symptoms of psychosis appear in men in their late teens and early 20s and in women in their mid-20s to early 30s. With treatment involving the use of antipsychotic medications and psychosocial treatment, schizophrenia patients can lead rewarding and meaningful lives.
Suicide is the process of intentionally ending one's own life. Approximately 1 million people worldwide commit suicide each year, and 10 million to 20 million attempt suicide annually.
Drug addiction is a chronic disease that causes drug-seeking behavior and drug use despite negative consequences to the user and those around him. Though the initial decision to use drugs is voluntary, changes in the brain caused by repeated drug abuse can affect a person's self-control and ability to make the right decisions and increase the urge to take drugs. Drug abuse and addiction are preventable.
Smoking is an addiction. More than 430,000 deaths occur each year in the U.S. from smoking related illnesses. Secondhand smoke or "passive smoke" also harm family members, coworkers, and others around smokers. There are a number of techniques available to assist people who want to quit smoking.
Alcohol is the most frequently used drug by American teenagers. Teens that drink are more likely to drive under the influence, have unprotected sex, and use other drugs, like marijuana, cocaine, and heroin. Symptoms of alcohol abuse in teens include lying, breaking curfew, becoming verbally or physically abusive toward others, making excuses, smelling like alcohol, having mood swings, and stealing.
Psychotic disorders are a group of serious illnesses that affect the mind. Different types of psychotic disorders include schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, brief psychotic disorder, shared psychotic disorder, delusional disorder, substance-induced psychotic disorder, paraphrenia, and psychotic disorders due to medical conditions.
Drugs commonly abused by teens include tobacco products, marijuana, cold medications, inhalants, depressants, stimulants, narcotics, hallucinogens, PCP, ketamine, Ecstasy, and anabolic steroids. Some of the symptoms and warning signs of teen drug abuse include reddened whites of eyes, paranoia, sleepiness, excessive happiness, seizures, memory loss, increased appetite, discolored fingertips, lips or teeth, and irritability. Treatment of drug addiction may involve a combination of medication, individual, and familial interventions.
Depression in teenagers may be caused by many factors. Symptoms of teen depression include apathy, irresponsible behavior, sadness, sudden drop in grades, withdrawal from friends, and alcohol and drug use. Treatment of depression in adolescents may involve psychotherapy and medications.
Teenagers recognize that they are developmentally between child and adult. Teen health prevention includes maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, preventing injuries and screening annually for potential health conditions that could adversely affect teenage health.
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