Although many people will experience a bad day, sad mood, low energy, or a lack of motivation, these are usually short-lived and don’t significantly impact the individual’s life. On the other hand, long-lasting symptoms including a lack of interest in normal activities and hobbies, changes in appetite or sleep patterns, fatigue, trouble concentrating, or thoughts about death or suicide should cause great concern and professional help should be found.
Although there are many prescription antidepressants on the market, science is pointing to CBD as a possible antidepressant.
Overview of Depression
According to the DSM 5 “Depressive disorders include disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, substance/medication-induced disorder, depressive disorder due to another medical condition, and unspecified depressive disorder”.
What is common among all of these disorders is that the individual experiences feeling psychologically irritable, sad, and empty. Physically, the individual may experience aches and pains and cognitively, he or she may experience memory problems and issues with concentration, problem-solving and attention.
Some Numbers
According to The National Institute of Mental Health (NIHM), around 16.2 million American adults have experienced at least one major depressive episode, 1.5% show symptoms of dysthymia, 2.8% are diagnosed with bipolar depression annually, 5% experience seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and up to 83% of cases are severe. Psychotic depression affects 25% of people who are hospitalized for depression.
Risk Factors
While there is no single cause of depression, risk factors include brain chemistry (lack of serotonin), hormones, and genetics (family history of depression). Other common risk factors include age, gender, race, and geography, use of certain medications, and substance and alcohol abuse.
Chronic illnesses can take their toll on individuals and be underlying factors of depression. Cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis are all associated with depression.
Other risk factors include being a victim of child abuse or sexual abuse, and being diagnosed with other psychiatric disorders including anxiety, borderline personality disorder, and PTSD.
Earlier Scientific Findings
Along with anxiety, depression is one of the most studied disorders concerning the effectiveness of CBD. Studies in the mid-90s and early 2000s found that CBD had a therapeutic value in reducing symptoms of depression and improving overall mood.
Endocannabinoid Deficiency Linked to Depression
In 2009, scientists discovered evidence that a deficit in the endocannabinoid system may be directly linked to depressive disorders and that this system actually regulates depression, anxiety and emotional and cognitive processes.
CBD Just as Effective as an Antidepressant
Researchers in England discovered antidepressant effects on mice and reported that CBD worked just as well as the antidepressant Tofranil. They stated that “CBD could represent a novel fast antidepressant drug”.
Studies with Mice
Various studies that place mice into anxiety and fear-inducing challenges (forced swimming test) observe their reactions with CBD and without it. It was found that CBD reduced symptoms of both depression and anxiety and that CB1 Receptor activity in the hippocampus produced antidepressant effects and modified mood.
Depression and Pain
Another study found a direct connection between depression and physical pain among its subjects and that these conditions combined can have extremely debilitating effects. The study concludes by reporting that the endocannabinoid system appears to regulate mood and pain sensation.
Final Thoughts on CBD as an Antidepressant
Although there are numerous studies that could have been cited here, it is generally believed in various scientific and medical communities that CBD has real potential to relieve symptoms of depression, anxiety and pain associated with depression.