
- With Mayo Clinic psychiatrist
Daniel K. Hall-Flavin, M.D.
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Daniel K. Hall-Flavin, M.D.
Daniel K. Hall-Flavin, M.D.
Dr. Daniel Hall-Flavin, board certified in general psychiatry and addiction psychiatry, is a St. Louis native looking to the Internet as a way to help people improve their health and be more active participants in their own health care by learning from Mayo Clinic's experts.
Dr. Hall-Flavin has been a member of the faculties of Cornell University Medical College, New York Medical College, and The George Washington University Medical School before joining the Mayo Clinic staff in 1996. He has special interests in adult psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, and psychogenomics. He has served as medical director of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence from 1986 to 1999.
"With the advent of the genomics and proteomics revolution and the pace of advances in medicine, informed collaborative relationships between knowledgeable, capable health professionals and informed, proactive individuals and their families are more vital than ever," he said.
"I'm optimistic that our Internet health education activities will contribute to ever-improving health outcomes for all who participate and apply what is learned."
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- Atypical depression: What is it?
Causes (4)
- Caffeine and depression: Is there a link?
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- see all in Causes
Complications (1)
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Treatments and drugs (9)
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- see all in Treatments and drugs
Alternative medicine (1)
- Fish oil supplements: Can they treat depression?
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Marijuana and depression: What's the link?
I'm curious about marijuana and depression. Can marijuana cause depression?
Answer
from Daniel K. Hall-Flavin, M.D.
Some research suggests a connection between marijuana and depression — particularly regular or heavy marijuana use. However, it's not clear whether marijuana actually causes depression or whether marijuana use simply goes hand in hand with depression for some people. It's possible that the genetic, environmental or other factors that make someone more likely to use marijuana also make the person more likely to experience depression. The reverse also may be true. The circumstances that trigger depression may make marijuana use more likely.
The bottom line: Marijuana use and depression accompany each other more often than you might expect by chance, but there's not enough evidence to indicate that marijuana directly causes depression.
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