How Cannabis Use Complicates Young Adult Mental Health Treatment After Breakups

Adult Mental Health Treatment

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways

    • Breakups, rejection, and social losses can all cause emotional crises in young adults.

    • Teen depression treatment and help for suicidal ideation must be both timely and based on trauma.

    • Cannabis use is a common but harmful way some teens cope with emotional pain.

    • Therapies like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) help people become stronger and embrace themselves.

    • Mental health services that use a mix of individual treatment, peer support, and ACT get better long-term results.

Introduction

For a lot of young adults, the emotional toll of a breakup or constant rejection can make them depressed or even suicidal. A crisis can hit hard and fast when these things happen on top of other problems, such as trauma or anxiety. Young adults who need mental health care need more than just help with their symptoms. They also require assistance with the underlying issues that impact their identity, relationships, and self-worth.

Knowing how to deal with it, whether through teen depression treatment or methods like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), might make the difference between a short-term problem and long-term damage. However, for many, the pain leads to harmful coping strategies, especially cannabis use, which can intensify emotional distress.

Let’s explore how young adult mental health treatment can support recovery after a breakup while also addressing the complications cannabis use introduces into the healing process.

Why Breakups and Being Turned Down Can Lead to Mental Health Problems

When someone rejects you emotionally, it causes a lot of physical and mental pain. Brain scans demonstrate that when someone is turned down romantically, it activates parts of the brain that are similar to those that feel physical pain, which makes feelings of guilt, loss, and abandonment stronger.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, adolescents and young adults are especially vulnerable to emotional stressors like rejection, which can heighten existing risks of depression and anxiety.

In these vulnerable moments, cannabis becomes a common emotional escape. Many young adults use marijuana to numb pain after romantic rejection. Still, studies show that it can lead to worsening anxiety, emotional detachment, and even increased suicidal ideation in those already experiencing distress.

In these situations, trauma-informed care is critical because emotional wounds from earlier rejection may come back, and healing requires safety, understanding, and empathy.

Treatment for Teen Depression

What Does Treatment for Teen Depression Look Like for Young Adults?

This seems like treatment for teen depression, but young adults need the same kind of help.

Individual therapy

Using CBT to deal with negative self-talk after a breakup is common.

Group therapy

Helps people connect, feel less alone, and fight shame.

Family sessions

These are especially helpful when problems in a relationship are affecting the family.

In some situations, sliding-scale inpatient or outpatient programs that focus on stabilizing a crisis may be necessary, especially if someone has suicide thoughts following a traumatic breakup or strong rejection.

Accessing such mental health care can be difficult for some teens and young adults, which is why the HHS Office of Population Affairs emphasizes improving availability and equity in adolescent mental health services.

How Does Trauma-Informed Care Help After a Breakup?

Trauma-informed care understands that emotional suffering can bring back memories of earlier trauma. Before discussing the breakup or rejection directly, therapy begins by ensuring that both the atmosphere and the person’s emotions are stable.

Providers encourage clients to discuss their feelings of guilt, grief, or helplessness in a loving and supportive manner. This method helps prevent people from getting hurt again and facilitates their emotional healing in a genuine way, rather than just coping on the surface.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

How Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Works in Recovery

It encourages people to accept their painful feelings without judgment and respond in ways that are true to their ideals. When it comes to breakups, it teaches young adults to:

  • Understand that rejection hurts, but it isn’t the end of the world

  • Reconnect with ideals such as belonging, creativity, or personal growth.

  • Even when you feel strongly about something, stick to activities that are in line with those principles

Studies demonstrate that ACT is a good way to lower melancholy and anxiety, especially when they are linked to trauma in relationships or low self-esteem. For those using cannabis to regulate emotion, ACT also teaches how to sit with uncomfortable feelings and respond based on values instead of avoidance—an essential skill in relapse prevention.

Young Adult Care: Inpatient vs. Outpatient Approaches

When mental problems get so bad that they turn into a crisis, such as thinking about suicide for a long time, inpatient care (like teen residential therapy) may be needed to help stabilize. Here, 24/7 care, a psychiatric diagnosis, and ACT-based treatment can help you securely reset your perspective.

Outpatient assistance, on the other hand, enables young adults to resume their everyday lives—encompassing college, employment, and social activities—while attending ACT-based sessions, mindfulness seminars, and peer groups. The right amount depends on the severity of the crisis that follows a breakup or rejection.

When Is the Best Time to Get Outpatient Care After a Breakup?

Outpatient treatments are good once the crisis is over. These programs usually include weekly therapy sessions, peer-led mental health services for teens, and regular visits with psychiatrists or counselors.

The CDC says that getting mental health help early on is essential for stopping deeper emotional cycles, especially for young people who have been rejected (CDC, 2024). Community-based care helps people stay strong and connected, allowing young adults to remain involved in their lives.

How Does Stimulant Use Impact Young Adults’ Mental Health in Relation to Cannabis After Breakups?

Stimulant use among young adults can exacerbate feelings of anxiety and depression, particularly after difficult breakups. In the context of cannabis use, many find themselves struggling to cope. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for communities like Las Vegas, where a focus on las vegas teen mental health is essential for support and healing.

Conclusion

Breakups and being turned down can be harsh on your emotions, and they can even lead to significant mental health problems. But with trauma-informed care, ACT, and individualized depression treatment, young adults can come out of it stronger, smarter, and more in line with their fundamental values. Treating co-occurring cannabis use is often a key part of that journey, because real healing comes not from escape, but from building emotional strength and clarity.

If your young adult is having a hard time following a bad breakup, Silver State Adolescent Treatment is here to help. Call 725-525-9897 for our teen mental health services, specializing in assisting young adults to recover emotionally and grow as people via evidence-based therapy, trauma-informed support, and ACT.

FAQs

1. What is ACT, or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy?

ACT is a way of treating mental illness that encourages people to accept their feelings, be conscious, and act based on their values.

2. How quickly can sadness after a breakup get worse?

If young individuals don’t have healthy ways to deal with their problems, depression might get worse within days of a breakup.

3. When should I think about going to the hospital?

If your young adult is thinking about killing themselves, hurting themselves, or having extreme emotional problems, they need to be in a hospital.

4. Is outpatient care proper?

Yes, primarily if you have structured therapy, group support, and regular care for mild to severe emotional distress.

5. What does trauma-informed care signify after someone experiences rejection?

It entails demonstrating understanding, validation, and awareness of historical emotional traumas that recent experiences of rejection may have exacerbated.

6. How does ACT help people feel better about themselves after being turned down?

Behave helps young adults reconnect with their values and behave in ways that are significant even when they are feeling bad, which allows them to feel better about themselves.

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Dr. Russ Park

Dr. Russ Park is a distinguished leader in healthcare, recognized for his dual board certification as an Advanced Nurse Executive and a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse. With over a decade of experience in hospital administration, Dr. Park has dedicated his career to transforming mental health care and enhancing patient outcomes through compassionate leadership and strategic innovation. As a former Chief Executive Officer at Sana Behavioral Health and Seven Hills Hospital, Dr. Park spearheaded groundbreaking initiatives that reduced restrictive interventions, expanded access to acute mental health services, and significantly improved core quality measures. His leadership has not only elevated institutional standards but also strengthened the commitment to patient-centered care. Dr. Park’s academic credentials include an undergraduate nursing degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a Doctorate in Nursing Administrative Leadership from the University of Nevada, Reno. His expertise in organizational leadership, policy development, and operational excellence continues to set a benchmark for healthcare management. At the heart of his work is a profound dedication to building sustainable, high-quality healthcare systems that prioritize mental health and well-being. Driven by passion and purpose, Dr. Russ Park remains committed to shaping the future of healthcare—one visionary step at a time.