In my summer holidays 2 years ago (after finishing Year 11 and just before going into Year 12) i smoked marijuana for my 3rd time with a group of friends. Over the next few days I recall having more energy than usual---my heart was constantly racing and i felt like i had a 24 hour adrenalin rush. I couldn't sleep at night, couldn't turn my brain off and kept thinking and planning all these things i wanted to do e.g. make the world a better place.

After around 3-4 days things really started to change. I became really paranoid, for example i didn't believe that my sister was in Thailand (which she was) but rather thought she had been kidnapped because i couldn't talk to her (hard to call her due to her being overseas). After spending that entire year planning a trip to Byron Bay with my friends, i told my parents i no longer wanted to go anymore---and that i was 'scared' to go. This was very out of character for me, as i have always loved socialising and hanging out with my friends.

Over the next few days things got really bad---i started hallucinating and became more paranoid, i wouldn't eat food unless it was pre-packaged as i thought someone was trying to poison me, and i showered with my clothes on as i thought someone was watching me in the shower.

Mum and Dad took me to get blood tests and discovered there was still marijuana in my system. They managed to get me into a psychiatric hospital where i met with the psychiatrist. After discussing my case she immediately knew that i was experiencing a 'drug-induced psychotic episode' and administered me with medication. Luckily the serocil kicked in and within a week i was back to normal (however had to continue to take the med as a precaution).

Important for me to note that i have no history of mental disorders (and there is no family history) and as i mentioned earlier this happened after my third time of smoking---thus i am not a long-term user.