The most commonly diagnosed emotional disorder in the United States is anxiety which affects over 40 million adults. According to the DSM 5, “anxiety disorders include disorders that share features of excessive fear and anxiety and related behavioral disturbances”. People may also experience intense feelings of apprehension, worry or dread as well as physical symptoms such as shortness of breath, dizziness, muscle tension and the inability to stay calm. Thankfully, anxiety is treatable with therapy, prescription medications and as many scientific trials are reporting, CBD.
Overview of Anxiety Disorders
While everyone experiences stress, chronic anxiety is quite different and can interfere with daily tasks, relationships, and social life. Anxiety is an umbrella term for many different conditions including separation anxiety disorder, phobias, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder, and substance or medication induced anxiety disorder.
Risk Factors
Some people are more prone to developing an anxiety disorder than are others. Individuals exposed to certain risk factors increase the likelihood that such a disorder will develop. Some risk factors include frequent and intense conflict, stress, family history, genetics, brain anatomy, childhood trauma, abuse or neglect, death of a loved one, divorce or living in isolation.
Early Scientific Evidence
As far back as 1982, researchers have been studying the effects of CBD on THC, the molecule from the cannabis plant that produces the euphoric high. They found that CBD reduced the anxiety-induced effects that THC can have on some people and proposed that CBD might become a new treatment that has anxiolytic or anti-anxiety properties. They also state “Because it has no psychoactive effects and does not affect cognition, has an adequate safety profile, good tolerability, positive results in trials with humans, and a broad spectrum of pharmacological actions, CBD appears to be the cannabinoid that is closer to have it preliminary findings in anxiety translated into clinical practice”.
Ancient Civilization
Going back much further in time, in fact thousands of years ago, ancient civilizations used cannabis and hemp to treat mood, nerves, temperament and personality issues. It was known then that it had a calming and relaxing effect and was helpful in reducing stress and anxiety.
CBD Reduces Anxiety of Public Speaking
A much-referenced study took place in 2010 and involved the effects of CBD on people who experienced speaking anxiety. It is well known that public speaking is the most common cause of anxiety and is a greatly feared phobia by many. Technically, it is considered a generalized anxiety disorder which may cause disruption in everyday life, work, and relationships as well as loss of productivity. The study found that CBD reduced feelings of anxiety, cognitive impairment and discomfort in public speaking.
CBD Improves Symptoms of PTSD and OCD
While post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder are no longer considered anxiety disorders, it was found that CBD helped in reducing symptoms associated with these disorders. Researchers also found that CBD was an effective treatment for panic attacks. Although these studies involved experiments with mice, it is believed that these results can be applied to human subjects. Specifically, CBD decreased defensive behaviors (as experienced with panic attacks) and interfered with learning or memory of aversive events (like those experienced with PTSD).
CBD Reduces Learned Fear
Another study published in 2016 reported on the effectiveness of CBD in alleviating anxiety associated with phobias and PTSD. CBD works at reducing learned fear in three ways. First, it decreases the intensity of fear expression. Next, it disrupts memory associated with traumatic experiences that provoke anxious reactions. Last, CBD improves “extinction” or the psychological process by which learned fear becomes reduced over time.
CBD Improves Anxiety by Improving Sleep
In a recent study, researchers found that in the majority of test subjects, CBD reduced anxiety scores initially and then remained decreased throughout the duration of the study. They found that along with reducing anxiety, most subjects reported improved sleep due to using CBD. The authors believe that CBD may hold benefits for anxiety and sleep, among other conditions.
Final Thoughts on CBD and Anxiety
Although a handful of reports discussed here report positive findings on CBD for anxiety, there are numerous studies that make the same claim. CBD appears to have the ability to impact a wide range of symptom domains including anxiety and panic, acts as an anti-compulsive, decreases arousal and learned fear while enhancing fear extinction. Perhaps it will one day become a treatment for those dealing with anxiety without the side effects of prescription medications.