Cannabidiol, also referred to by the acronym CBD, is a compound that naturally occurs in the marijuana plant. Unlike the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the marijuana plant, CBD doesn't cause a high. The CBD, however, may have an impact on certain psychiatric disorders. If you suffer from any of these mental health issues, you may want to discuss with your doctor if CBD could be a solution for you.
Anxiety
Anxiety is one condition you may want to consider using CBD to help manage. While researchers don't completely understand the relationship between CBD and anxiety, some believe that CBD targets your serotonin levels. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in your brain, meaning it's a chemical produced by your nerves.
Particularly, serotonin affects your sleep, mood, and behavior; and certain medications on the market work to regulate the serotonin level in your body to treat your anxiety. Researchers believe CBD also affects your serotonin levels to regulate certain mental health disorders.
In fact, a study conducted in 2019 focused on the effect CBD had on patients with anxiety and sleep disorders. The study showed that almost 80 percent of the participants saw a reduction in their anxiety levels. Moreover, a review conducted in 2015 analyzed the results of 49 studies related to CBD and anxiety. The review indicated that CBD may help with social anxiety disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.
Anorexia Nervosa
CBD may also help with anorexia nervosa - an eating disorder that also classifies as a psychiatric disorder. Unfortunately, out of any psychiatric disorder, anorexia has the highest death rate, according to ECHO Connection.
This particular disorder often stems from peer pressure, childhood trauma, and genetics. Anxiety also may play a role in the development of anorexia since these two issues often co-occur. In fact, one study showed that out of 700 individuals with eating disorders, around two-thirds of them had an anxiety disorder.
A similar study conducted on 2,500 people with different types of eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, revealed that nearly 60 percent of individuals had an anxiety disorder.
While CBD doesn't reach the root of the problem, CBD may reduce a person's anxiety levels, which can help you better manage this health issue. Moreover, your brain's networks control your appetite, which anxiety can interfere with. CBD may affect these networks to better regulate your appetite.
Depression
In addition, you might want to consider CBD if you have depression. Depression seems to have a connection with low serotonin levels in your brain.
Researchers discovered that CBD might affect how receptors in your brain respond to serotonin, which can help regulate your serotonin levels. Additionally, a study conducted in 2018 showed evidence that CBD can work to destress a person, which is how the substance can impact depression, according to Healthline.
CBD may have both antidepressant and anti-anxiety effects that affect the serotonin receptors in the brain, as noted by a 2014 study.
When you consider taking CBD for depression, you should consider that CBD is known to cause fewer side effects than some pharmaceutical products for depression. Additionally, an antidepressant may take weeks to combat your depression while CBD doesn't generally require that much time to have an effect on this mood disorder.
If you have a psychiatric disorder like depression, anxiety, or anorexia, CBD may help you take better control of your condition. However, you should speak with your physician before you try this option to better manage your condition since CBD may interact with certain medications.
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