Living With Mental Illness

Joey Dailidas (1992 – 2016)

There once was a little boy named Joey who laughed and played and loved his two big sisters. At age 14 he began to smoke pot, and by age 22 he was diagnosed with major depression and bipolar disorder. By age 24, he couldn’t live with the demons that whirled inside his beautiful mind anymore. …

Cannabis Use Disorder (Addiction) | Living with Mental Illness | Other Mental Health Issues | Psychosis

Roxie Pacheco

My daughter is 24 years old and suffers from cannabis use disorder and cannabis-induced psychosis. We had her back for a short time, but the addictiveness of this drug has pulled her away from us once again. Roxanne was a beautiful baby, and as she got older, she was very bubbly and her imagination was…

Kirk Anderson, California

My brother thought he was John the Baptist. He slept under a freeway because he believed God wanted him to live there. (See https://anightinjail.com/ and a long story of Kirk’s life from Moms Strong: https://momsstrong.org/2018/01/19/brothers-marijuana-use-led-mental-illness/ ) About 10% to 15% of the population is predisposed to psychosis, and most of us don’t know it. Many people have not heard THC…

Cannabis Use Disorder (Addiction) | Living with Mental Illness | Marijuana Vaping | Other Mental Health Issues | Psychosis

Adam Maas

My son Adam suffers from cannabis use disorder and cannabis-induced psychosis. My husband and I worked hard to provide our kids with a loving and stable home. Our son was born in 1995. He did well in school. He skied in the winter, swam in the summer, and always had friends. In the spring of 2017,…

Cannabis Use Disorder (Addiction) | Living with Mental Illness | Other Mental Health Issues | Psychosis

George Spicka’s Story, by George Spicka

“As far as I’m concerned, those who claim that marijuana is harmless don’t know what they’re talking about. Also, there’s a misconception that only the stronger pot of today is dangerous.” What you don’t know is that I became addicted to marijuana in my early 20s and suffered a psychotic breakdown shortly after my 25th…