4
votes
How to test whether THC or CBD gives a mental boost?
The only study I'm aware of is the following:
Cannabis increased verbal fluency in low creatives to the same level as that of high creatives. Cannabis increased state psychosis-like symptoms in ...
- 428
3
votes
Accepted
Is low self-esteem, a brain chemical imbalance problem, rather than a personality defect, and can't be fixed by any amount of counselling/self-help?
Low self-esteem can be the result of severeal things, implying depression and other mental disorders, past experiences (harassement for example). We can "fix" low self-esteem through non-drug therapy, ...
- 46
3
votes
Name of sound-induced-hunger condition
Probably not. The closest thing I am aware of is Mayor et al (2016) [The Effect of Chronic Dieting Goals on Auditory Perceptual Biases] where they
propose the existence of “wishful hearing,” which ...
- 2,663
3
votes
Accepted
Does taking antidepressants, anxiolytics and sleep pills significantly affect a person's intelligence?
About intelligence: The subject of intelligence is broadly addressed in research in psychology, one of the most supportive theories is Spearman's bifactorial theory of intelligence, in this theory the ...
- 1,069
3
votes
Is it possible to quantify/measure the effect of certain medication on our neurotransmitters and hormones?
Yes it is possible, but it is difficult. The way it would be done currently is to insert a needle into the base of your spinal cord to measure the concentration of a metabolite of serotonin, 5-HIAA, ...
- 981
2
votes
Is Dr. Russo’s “endocannabinoid deficiency” a valid theory?
I'd say it is a low-impact theory. The original (2004) paper in which this was proposed has around 60 citations in Google Scholar. That's pretty low for a paper like this (if the theory were ...
- 10.2k
2
votes
Accepted
Do psychiatrists have educational requirements other than an MD?
The only required degree to become a psychiatrist is a doctoral degree (M.D.). Using your example, yes those people could train to become psychiatrists.
After passing the Medical College Admission ...
- 338
2
votes
Accepted
Can one depressive episode be enough to prescribe antidepressants?
Suppose someone were to see a psychiatrist, explain their life
problems and such and then their psychiatrist concludes they are
currently in a depressive episode. Their psychiatrist doesn't yet ...
- 1,123
2
votes
Do psychiatrists and researchers themselves don't have an idea how antidepressants work?
Haha, yep. We don't know how depression or SSRIs work. We have hypotheses for both schizophrenia and depression - the dopamine hypothesis and the serotonin hypothesis.
While I was conducting my ...
- 29
2
votes
How to take advantage of the withdrawal symptoms of antidopaminergics?
This is not an a totally absurd proposal if dosage and time-related issues weren't a factor, but it is rife with practical difficulties otherwise.
In schizophrenia patients, what you're talking about ...
- 10.2k
1
vote
How to take advantage of the withdrawal symptoms of antidopaminergics?
Short answer
Taking dopamine antagonists leads to serious side effects, and stopping taking them leads to other, equally nasty side effects. None of them include happiness or feeling energized.
...
- 20.5k
1
vote
What do depressants treat? Are they used in bipolar to treat mania?
Depressants belong to a general class of drugs that decrease activity in one or more parts of the nervous system. Depression in the usual sense of the word comprises a particular subset of depressed ...
- 845
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