Case Report Finds CBD Mitigates Anxiety, Depression and Substance Abuse in Adolescents
The daily use of CBD (cannabidiol) capsules is associated with improvements in the treatment of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse disorder in adolescents. This is according to a study published in the journal Neuropsychiatrie and titled Cannabidiol treatment in an adolescent with multiple substance abuse, social anxiety and depression.
For the study researchers examined the effects of CBD treatment in an adolescent male with depression, social phobia, and multiple substance use disorders. The participant consumed up to 600mgs of CBD daily for eight weeks.
“Upon treatment with CBD and cessation of the antidepressant medication, the patient improved regarding depressive as well as anxiety symptoms, including simple phobias and symptoms of paranoia and dissociation”, states the study. “Furthermore, the patient quit abusing illegal drugs including THC without showing withdrawal symptoms.”
Illegal drug intake was assessed through regular evaluation and urine tests.
The study concludes by stating that “This is the first report of CBD medication in a patient with multiple substance use disorder with a positive outcome. … CBD was a safe and well-tolerated medicine for this patient.”
The study’s abstract:
In this report, we present a case of a 16,9-year-old patient with multiple substance use disorder (cannabis, MDMA, cocaine, ecstacy), severe depression, social phobia and narcissistic personality disorder.We administered Cannabidiol (CBD) capsules in different dosages (starting dosage 100 mg up to 600 mg over 8 weeks) after unsuccessful treatment with antidepressants.CBD was a safe and well tolerated medication for this patient. Upon treatment with CBD and cessation of the antidepressant medication, the patient improved regarding depressive as well as anxiety symptoms including simple phobias and symptoms of paranoia and dissociation. Furthermore, the patient quit abusing illegal drugs including THC without showing withdrawal symptoms. This is the first report of CBD medication in a patient with multiple substance use disorder with a positive outcome.Until today it is not clear if CBD holds promise as a therapeutic option in substance use disorder as RCTs are lacking, but in this single case the substance seems to work in various domains.