CBD for DepressionMedical Legal ConsultantsUpdated on May 22, 2018 View more like this | Visit CANADA, KY | Contact Seamus Russell |
The American Psychiatric Association describes depression as a serious and common medical illness. This means that many people suffer from it and it is not just something that is "all in the mind."
For years, depression has been repeatedly brushed aside both by the person experiencing and people around him or her. It will go away, just cheer up.
But the thing is, depression can very often lead to other more serious problems both physically and emotionally. The patient might not be able to carry on with his or her daily tasks. Depressions needs to be treated, and CBD is one of the ways that you could do that.
Is CBD effective in combating depression?
The short answer is yes. But there has been limited research on the topic that involves humans. What we do know, however, is that CBD has similar properties as antidepressants.
In a review of different studies of the link between CBD and depression conducted on animals, researchers from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro's Institute of Psychiatry has found that CBD does have anxiolytic and antidepressant qualities.
Also, our bodies have an endocannabinoid system, and the receptors found here are specifically for interacting with cannabis. When you ignore the endocannabinoid system, your body's functioning gets screwed up and it can affect your sleep patterns, energy, eating habits and mood. CBD has been found effective in helping restore balance to this endocannabinoid system, and this is what makes it effective against pain and depression.
How does CBD work against depression
CBD interacts with several receptors in the body and the brain. It activates the 5-HT1A seretonin receptor, which allows it to positively affect your mood, lessen your anxiety, and promote sleep, lessen pain and reduce nausea.
Why is CBD a big deal for those who suffer from depression?
Depression can be a debilitating disease where you lose interest in your daily life and even entertain suicidal thoughts. While CBD is not proven to cure depression, it does help you manage the symptoms and can provide a natural alternative to current anti-depressant medications.
Anti-depressant medications have several well known side effects, including weight gain, nausea, sex-related problems, drowsiness, insomnia, fatigue, blurred vision, dizziness, dry mouth, constipation, irritability, anxiety, and agitation. Compare that to the side effects you see from CBD, which are fatigue, diarrhea, and increased or decreased appetite and you could easily see how much better CBD is when it comes to unwanted effects.
Or to put it simply, CBD has fewer side effects and these are not as bad as the ones you get from antidepressant drugs.
The final say on CBD and depression
The National Institute on Mental Health estimates that in 2012, around 16 million Americans had major depression. The thing with major depression is that it can lead the person to consider suicide. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, there were around 45,000 reported suicides in 2016, and at least 50% of the people who committed suicide had major depression.
Depression is very treatable, but current anti-depressant drugs have a lot of unwanted side effects, which can make some people even worse off than when they started taking the drugs. What's more, there are speculations that anti-depressant drugs might be habit forming.
Most of these potential side effects are not seen in people who take CBD. What's more, CBD has the potential to fight addiction, rather than cause it.
In short, CBD works just as well as the current (and legal) anti-depressants, without the unsavory side effects. Yet, the continued prohibition on cannabis is making it very difficult to move forward with CBD. For one, very few studies have been conducted with human subjects, helping to prove once and for all how CBD helps people with depression.
For years, depression has been repeatedly brushed aside both by the person experiencing and people around him or her. It will go away, just cheer up.
But the thing is, depression can very often lead to other more serious problems both physically and emotionally. The patient might not be able to carry on with his or her daily tasks. Depressions needs to be treated, and CBD is one of the ways that you could do that.
Is CBD effective in combating depression?
The short answer is yes. But there has been limited research on the topic that involves humans. What we do know, however, is that CBD has similar properties as antidepressants.
In a review of different studies of the link between CBD and depression conducted on animals, researchers from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro's Institute of Psychiatry has found that CBD does have anxiolytic and antidepressant qualities.
Also, our bodies have an endocannabinoid system, and the receptors found here are specifically for interacting with cannabis. When you ignore the endocannabinoid system, your body's functioning gets screwed up and it can affect your sleep patterns, energy, eating habits and mood. CBD has been found effective in helping restore balance to this endocannabinoid system, and this is what makes it effective against pain and depression.
How does CBD work against depression
CBD interacts with several receptors in the body and the brain. It activates the 5-HT1A seretonin receptor, which allows it to positively affect your mood, lessen your anxiety, and promote sleep, lessen pain and reduce nausea.
Why is CBD a big deal for those who suffer from depression?
Depression can be a debilitating disease where you lose interest in your daily life and even entertain suicidal thoughts. While CBD is not proven to cure depression, it does help you manage the symptoms and can provide a natural alternative to current anti-depressant medications.
Anti-depressant medications have several well known side effects, including weight gain, nausea, sex-related problems, drowsiness, insomnia, fatigue, blurred vision, dizziness, dry mouth, constipation, irritability, anxiety, and agitation. Compare that to the side effects you see from CBD, which are fatigue, diarrhea, and increased or decreased appetite and you could easily see how much better CBD is when it comes to unwanted effects.
Or to put it simply, CBD has fewer side effects and these are not as bad as the ones you get from antidepressant drugs.
The final say on CBD and depression
The National Institute on Mental Health estimates that in 2012, around 16 million Americans had major depression. The thing with major depression is that it can lead the person to consider suicide. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, there were around 45,000 reported suicides in 2016, and at least 50% of the people who committed suicide had major depression.
Depression is very treatable, but current anti-depressant drugs have a lot of unwanted side effects, which can make some people even worse off than when they started taking the drugs. What's more, there are speculations that anti-depressant drugs might be habit forming.
Most of these potential side effects are not seen in people who take CBD. What's more, CBD has the potential to fight addiction, rather than cause it.
In short, CBD works just as well as the current (and legal) anti-depressants, without the unsavory side effects. Yet, the continued prohibition on cannabis is making it very difficult to move forward with CBD. For one, very few studies have been conducted with human subjects, helping to prove once and for all how CBD helps people with depression.
