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What makes conversations about this very confusing is the fact that neurotransmitters and "chemical imbalances" cannot be seen in isolation. What we are talking about is signalling inside particular structures. Changes in signalling over time effect changes in structure, just like different behaviour does. (actually different behaviour IS change in signalling)

Thus it's no wonder that psychiatric drugs have so many unpredictable effects. Administration of amphetamine might calm you, by exciting a down-regulating part of your brain, that is "structured correctly" (lack of a better word) and simultaneously give you anxiety by exciting the amygdala. It differs from person to person.

It's also no wonder that people and scientists interchangeably exclaim "Behaviour!", "Genes!", "Education!", "Lack of dopamine!" when trying to explain ADHD. It's a mixture of all of those things, but there is definitely a genetic component, which seems to make certain kinds of people way way less apt in controlling their impulses.

Psychiatric drugs don't change the structure of your brain, but, if administered carefully, they lower the bar to change it by behaviour and thoughts, thus being ultimately able to get rid of the medication all together.

It appears that regular cannabis use [0] decreases dopaminergic brain-activity [1].

Dopamine is often referred to as "pleasure"-transmitter, but it's function in certain parts of the brain is better thought of as "regulating expectation", therefore influencing drive & motivation. It makes it possible to work on stuff you don't particularly enjoy by focussing on an expected long-term reward. This works by enabling your conscious thoughts to silence other, more excitatory and emotional parts of your brain via a feedback-loop. [2]

People with ADHS have trouble concentrating because this feedback-loop doesn't work well when they're not moving. Sitting still, they are constantly being flooded with inappropriate and negative emotions. They calm down when taking stimulants like Ritaline, because the "calming"-function of the brain starts working properly.

Bottom-line: Cannabis has many good effects, but it definitely blunts motivation. [3]

[0] rule of thumb: more than once weekly

[1] http://www.pnas.org/content/111/30/E3149.abstract

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontostriatal_circuit

[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeYsTmIzjkw

It has been developed by austrian & german psychologists, the test for school-children etc. is also in german unfortunately.

Like I said, the theory isn't widely adopted. When there's material available in english, I'll post it.

Feeling well and bad are not opposites on one scale, but rather different brain-function.

Bad feelings are often actually anxiety or fear, which lead to a broadening of attention: perceiving many different things, but none of them clearly. Exactly what is needed to get away from a situation. This is where the creativity might come from.

Please note that this broadening of attention doesn't mean you can think clear, which is the problem with depression: having thousands of dysfunctional thoughts rotating, without being able to focus on one of them properly. (until the brain just shuts down with exhaustion).

Feeling well, on the other hand, often incorporates feeling in-the-zone, being focussed on something, without seeing all the parts around it.

> What do you mean by "slow"? Hours, days, weeks, months, or years?

Depends on the issue, but yes. Weeks to years.

> Singular use of LSD or other 5ht agonists is unlikely to cause serotonin syndrome in lieu of other metabotropic properties which affect the serotonin system.

Technically correct. Diagnostic criteria include temperature > 38 °C for example, so it's only called serotonine-syndrome when symptoms get into the dangerous zone. What LSD does anyway is steering your body into that direction, so you might not have 38°C on LSD, but e.g. 37.4°C. Simply because it affects serotonergic systems and those regulate body-temperature. I'll update my post.

@Mostly sofa use: This probably depends on the drug, I guess it's true for cannabis, but not for cocaine.

@Knowledge: What fascinated me is that regular users I asked (at a drug-checking-station at clubs for example) also didn't know much more than the name of the stuff they're putting in their body. On the other hand most drinkers also don't know the biochemical/medical stuff, just how to handle the situation (more or less).

Schizophrenia is more a catch-all term for "things are going severely wrong in a brain" than a disease.