Oh that’s no biggie, I forget people from long ago all the time. It’s healthy and believe it or not one of the findings re cannabinoids is that these play a role in suppressing unwanted memories. So perhaps for him people are unwanted memories. Poor sod.

As for brain damage, there is actually no conclusive evidence that marijuana causes brain damage but abundant evidence that exogenous cannabinoids have remarkable neuroprotective properties. In fact one recent research report claimed that THC may prevent age related memory decline and latter dementia. This makes lots of molecular, cellular, and physiological sense. Of course, the poison is in the dose and as cannabinoids are lipid soluble, and the dry weight of the brain is 60% fat, cannabinoids can build up to very high levels. This can induce processes which may initiate cell death, particularly as exogenous cannabinoids have slow wash out times.

That is where the mystery starts for in schizophrenia generally there is strong evidence for cerebral atrophy and this tends to increase with age. This is why many refer to marijuana and psychosis, not marijuana and schizophrenia. It would be very interesting to see long term studies on marijuana induced psychosis and subsequent cerebral atrophy or lack thereof.

One of our friends saw this guy on the train about a year ago, and he seemed to have forgotten who she was. He didn’t recognise her. This girl seriously hasn’t changed a whisker in 15 years, and he’d known her for 10 or so years before breaking off contact. Really weird. I’d say he’s done himself some permanent brain damage, one way or another.

Cannabis and social withdrawal, very dangerous. Cannabis is often used to self-medicate depression but it creates a host of problems and can easily deepen the depression. Psychosis from cannabis? Maybe, depends on age, post 21 years of age I’m not sure there is a risk and usage must be heavy. Severe sustained depression though can induce psychosis.

Sometimes I think it can be very hard to help such people because they have been in that psychological state for so long they no longer remember what being consistently content is like. I know someone like that, chronic dysthymic(low level persistent depression), it has blighted his whole life and crippled his substantial skills. I also know there is no way I can ever make him see that. We do seem to have a propensity for tying ourselves up in psychological gordian knots.

It is also very common in depression. Only rarely are individuals true loners. I’m one of those rarities. In my younger days I used to find large social gatherings annoying. So much babble, so many casual conversations which I am not good at. I am a strong introvert that has enough going on in his head and hardly need any external stimulations to add the cognitive load.

It is not that I don’t like people and so keep away from them, it just so happens I live in a beautiful little valley, have moved away from all my previous friends, have very unusual hobbies and interests, and so practicalities make it hard to keep up with everyone. Loneliness does bite and it can bite deeply.

Learning to enjoy solitude gives one tremendous freedom in life but it can also scare people because you tend to lack dependency on them. I’ve had a lifelong reputation for walking away from people and I know many took offence at this or thought it was something they did. Not at all, that’s just the way I am.

We need each other, sustained isolation is not good, even for loners. Strikingly studies continually demonstrate that a good strategy to ward off dementia is to maintain an active social life.

As a general rule when people start cutting themselves off from others something is wrong. There is little point in speculating on what that something is, the reasons can be manifold and often hidden from view. If you do wish to advise people in this situation then ask them this: are you going to live your whole life like a hermit? That’ll scare ém.

I really hope that your son comes around and realises what he’s missing out on. It’s a very lonely life if you keep cutting off everyone who is close to you. And it hurts your friends and family so much.

M-H, that is harsh. Do you have any clue as to why he’s so uncommunicative? One of the things that lawyering has taught me is that some people are just not terribly friendly. They’re not bad people, just unfriendly. Trouble is, when you have to deal with someone who is fundamentally unsociable, there’s a tendency to think ‘what’s wrong with me?’, when in reality you’re dealing with someone who’s just not very interested in others, and it’s nothing to do with you.