7 Points On How CBD Can Help Promote Mental Health
Cannabidiol is a well-known and widely used natural remedy for various diseases.
CBD (cannabidiol) forms part of over 100 chemical components called cannabinoids discovered in the cannabis plant, Cannabis sativa.
The psychoactive cannabinoid known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the most famous cannabinoid found in cannabis, which means it causes a high feeling. However, unlike THC, CBD lacks psychoactive effects.
Hence, CBD is an enticing choice for those looking for pain relief and treatments that lack the mind-altering impact of cannabis or the additional adverse effects associated with some pharmaceutical medicines.
Over the years, consumer interest in CBD’s mental health benefits rose steadily. According to a JAMA Network Open study published in 2019, there has been a considerable surge in CBD Internet searches in the United States.
This article highlights seven evidence-backed health advantages of CBD for mental health and the studies underlying them.
Anxiety
Anxiety is a condition that many individuals face. An estimated 19.1 percent of persons in the United States suffer from anxiety problems each year. Fortunately, some proponents buy CBD edibles that reduce anxiety and improve your mental health after assessing current research and scientific evidence. One study investigated the neurological basis for CBD’s ability to alleviate social anxiety disorder symptoms.
After dissecting the current preclinical research about the effectiveness of CBD against anxiety published in the journal Neurotherapeutics in 2015, it’s clear that the compound is helpful for several anxiety types.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD affects about 6.1 percent of adults in the United States. Symptoms include:
- Reliving traumatic events.
- Having intrusive thoughts.
- Avoiding situations that may evoke memories of the trauma.
According to some research, CBD may be beneficial in lowering the symptoms of this illness. Researchers revealed that taking an oral dose of CBD in addition to standard psychiatric treatment for PTSD reduced symptoms in one study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
Insomnia And Sleep Disorder
Due to CBD’s relaxing effect, it may be helpful in the treatment of sleep disorders. Sleep is essential for mental health and well-being. Still, per the reports of the CDC, one-third of American adults are sleep deprived, resulting in health problems like depression, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. One study demonstrated that after a month of taking an average of 25mg of CBD daily, 65 percent of persons with poor sleep quality improved their sleep quality ratings.
Depression
Depression is one of the most frequent mental disorders in the United States, affecting an estimated 17.3 million individuals each year.
Meanwhile, interest in complementary and alternative treatments has risen in recent years, despite the availability of effective therapies.
CBD’s antidepressant-like effects are dependent on serotonin levels in the brain, according to a 2018 study. Cannabidiol impacts how the brain responds to serotonin that is already present in the body, rather than increasing serotonin levels.
Epilepsy
CBD appears to have several benefits for neurologic disorders, including seizures. Anti-seizure drugs may not work well for certain diseases, such as Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS).
However, CBD reduced the frequency of seizures by more than 50% in 43 percent of patients with Dravet syndrome, according to a large-scale study on the use of CBD in the treatment of pediatric epilepsy. Epidiolex, containing CBD, was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat certain childhood seizures.
Schizophrenia
The advantages of CBD in the treatment of schizophrenia are not well understood. But CBD, on the other hand, has been demonstrated to have many essential benefits, making it a good choice for treating the disease’s symptoms.
Thus, CBD was compared to current prescription antipsychotic drugs in one of the studies on the potential advantages of CBD use in schizophrenia. CBD demonstrated a similar level of effectiveness as amisulpride in treating schizophrenia symptoms in this double-blind, placebo-controlled research.
Mood Disorder
Any neurological illness that affects the body’s ability to regulate or maintain emotions is referred to as a “mood disorder.” Famous examples like bipolar disorder, depression, mania, hypomania, seasonal affective disorder have all responded to CBD.
Animal research utilizing well-established depression models has demonstrated that CBD usage improves depression scores dramatically when compared to placebo controls. Another study has revealed how CBD can help people with depression. CBD extracts were observed to boost serotonin activity in mice in one investigation.
Conclusion
You need to seek a doctor or a mental health expert if you are experiencing symptoms of a mental health disorder. Self-medicating with CBD or other supplements can create treatment delays, which can worsen your symptoms. CBD also can increase several symptoms such as anxiety, psychosis, and sleep issues.
If you plan to try CBD to supplement your regular medication, first take your doctor’s advice which can help you track the effects. Based on your symptoms and any drugs you’re taking, your doctor may suggest a product and dose that’s right for you. Remember to always look out for any potential adverse side effects and consult your doctor before discontinuing CBD use.
References
https://doi.org/10.1177/2045125312457586
https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.13853
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/any-anxiety-disorder.shtml