Here's an interesting article which could spark some debate.
Marijuana as a Treatment for Autism?
by Lisa Jo Rudy
I don't think that there's any doubt that "social lubricants" such as drugs and alcohol can make it easier for aspies to temporarily overcome their social problems. It's also true that sometimes these can help them to relax or function better outside of social situations.
Ritalin itself is a stimulant, as is caffeine and nicotine, marijuana (cannabis) isn't clearly defined as either a stimulant or depressant - it has both qualities.
In fact, it's quite common for children to be given ritalin and/or coffee and coke. Less common I think for parents to actually encourage smoking. Marijuana has been shown to have positive effects on depression.
Both Alcohol and Smoking have greater addicition and provide greater physical harm than marijuana but does that actually suggest that it's worthwhile using? In particular, the article refers to a mother who gives marijuana to her 9 year old son for medicinal purposes. It's hard to make a judgement call on something like that.
One thing that it clear however is that these drugs don't act on the autism itself but rather on the symptoms and co-conditions. Ritalin, for example, has no effect on autism or aspergers but does affect adhd. Similarly anti-depressants don't affect the autistic condition, only the symptom of depression.
Comments
Lisa Rudy
www.autism.about.com
Medical Marijuana For Kids With Autism
http://addictions.about.com/b/2009/11/18/medical-marijana-for-kids-with-autism.htm
I think using marijuana to take the edge off of autism is the same thing as self-medicating with alcohol. Not a good idea.
In my case the times I did use it - it was a good stress release after having a very stressful time. Sometimes with Asperger's I feel as though I am in a cage, and having something to relax can help that feeling go away.
Lisa
in my opinion, this is absolutely true and rather obvious, seeing as autism is not an illness. so how could anything be used to "treat" it? i've been smoking marihuana on and off for 14 years and have never had any addiction issues. i find it very easy to stop and start as i please. but that's me and i've seen enough other people handle it very differently to know that marihuana is not for everyone. i see no harm in taking the edge off autism by smoking a little pot, just as i see no harm in taking the edge off everyday life by going out for a drink on a friday night. used moderately, marihuana is not necessarily destined to ruin your life.
generally speaking, i'm not a fan of ritalin, anti-depressants or sleeping pills, as this seems to me to be treating symptoms rather than underlying issues, there are howerver certain cases where these things are needed to provide a working basis for some other form of therapy to be effective. so why not use marihuana in the same way? i can confirm that in my case, it helps calm me down after overload, it has prevented complete meltdowns, it's more efficient than alcohol in letting me cope with social situations such as parties (especially with loud music) because i'm not as proned to make a fool of myself seeing as my awareness is higher on marihuana than alcohol. sometimes it also helps me to stop my brain from rambling when i'm trying to get to sleep. although i'm fairly sure there are many alternatives out there (Rachel's weighted blanket as an example probably does pretty much the same job for her as a small joint for me) when it comes down to it, i think people should do whatever works for them, as long as nobody - including themselves - gets harmed in the process. it seems to me the only reason there's a debate in this case is because (for various quite strange reasons) marihuana is illegal. these days, giving ritalin to children has become widely accepted as it has proven to be quite effective in reducing symptoms of adhd - even though ritalin too is a mind-altering drug. so why not marihuana, which btw can also be given in form of cookies etc, if it has a positive effect? what i do strongly disapprove of is people giving it to their children without consulting a doctor, just as i would disapprove of someone giving their child ritalin - or any other type of strong medication for that matter - without consulting a doctor.
It cannot change Aspergers/Autism (ASDs) for the same reason that these cannot be "cured". It's not an illness - it's a structural difference.
That's not to say that drugs cannot alter, at least temporarily, behaviour. They certainly can.
Ritalin and other drugs including narcotics shouldn't be used for medicinal purposes directed against autism. Only against some of the more controllable symptoms of the condition, and even then, only on doctor's orders.
Rock
It's about how training parents may work better than using risperidone.
That's a good article. I wish it was a tad more conclusive (the gains weren't huge and both groups used medication) but it certainly makes the point that parent training is important.
It's a sad fact of life that by the time we become really great parents (by virtue of our experience), our children are already grown up.
I find that if anything, marijuana makes social interaction more difficult. Smoking m seems to make me overanalyze things and sometimes cause anxiety. When many of us get anxious in social situations to begin with, using a substance that can increase this only makes it worse. This makes it harder to open up, especially when around people whom you don't know very well or aren't fully comfortable around for whatever reason. Increased anxiety can lead to paranoia over social interactions (how your communicating, people's intentions, etc).
An antidepressant, though it worked at curing symptoms (I was much less fidgety and more focused on schoolwork), lead to severe anxiety. At this point in my life, I was having a lot of problems to begin with, so I would worry. Cymbalta caused my worrying to erupt into full-blown panic, which eventually lead to self-mutilation. I do not suggest messsing with these drugs.
As for alcohol, a few beers every here and there are good for keeping anybody sane. So hey, go for it. Just don't waste away all your brain cells.
For those concerned about smoking, cookery is an option.
I won't lie though, if I overdo it and I'm not with close friends I get anxious about the way I'm moving and composing myself because I'm aware that I'm a little inhibited, though this is only caused by the drug not dumbing me down and not taking away from my self awareness, but this feeling is more severe when I'm uninhibited.
This negative isn't to do with the drug itself, but the way people react. God I wish I could just fucking tell people I have aspergers and not have them misunderstand why I use it.
As soon as i started smoking that terrible substance on a regular basis i lost all of my freinds. For the last two years, i have smoked multiple times a day every day and it made me lose all of my social ability.
Even when im not high i avoid talking to people now. In fact, i am writing this in my high school library during lunch, sitting by myself.
I cannot even have a normal conversation with people anymore, im just a depressed wreck with no self esteem now. Its a serious problem, and i need to stop.
Aspergers and cannabis are a very bad mix
I've used marijuanna to help me with the social issues. I can go from nearly incapable of going to anything that has the slightest issue in my head to outright enthusiasm on it (nearly).. Sadly I learnt that there is a risk of becoming quite attached (not addicted). You do get a desire to feel so comfortable every day, especially when your aspergers is a near constant obstacle.
I've decided to take a month's break. After which I plan to use it purely to help me when I need to do social occasions.
I think moderated use of Sativa strains can help with enthusiasm and maintaining excitement for events which would normally cause worry and stress.
Indica strain cannabis was incredibly useful during times of emotional explosion and obsessive thinking.
Though I don't see it helping in the long term, as coming down from marijuana after much use can actually increase depression. But I can't tell whether that's just a result of experiencing life with less aspergers, then going back to having more. So be always prepared that you will return to the struggle.
I also use buddhist meditation to maintain a simplistic and rational mind-space, and marijuana can kind of damage that rational mind-space if it's abused.
I smoked cannabis for 3 months, mostly strong strains 3 days or so a week on and off.
It helped me combat anxiety sometimes, but sometimes it flipped totally in the opposite direction.
The social dependence is not a good thing at all.
Eventually I ended up in psychiatric hospital with psychosis, and no, I couldn't have seen it coming and just stopped.
Its hard to scientifically prove, but guess what I'm now living proof. There was no doubt that the cannabis caused the psychosis.
2 years later I am still recovering and fighting suicidal thoughts. I had no previous mental health issues. I have Aspergers Syndrome, which made the experience of psychosis and hospitalization much much worse.
Don't make this mistakes just for a high.