MesaLavenderFarms.com, Curtis Swift, Ph.D., Mesa Lavender Farms
Anxiety/stress-related disorders are associated with a diminished sense of well-being, elevated rates of unemployment and relationship breakdown, and elevated suicide risk ([1], [2], [3]).
Together, anxiety-related disorders have a lifetime prevalence in the USA of 29 % [[4]], the highest of any mental disorder, and constitute an immense social and economic burden [[5]].
Cannabidiol Reduces the Anxiety Induced by Simulated Public Speaking in Treatment-Naïve Social Phobia Patients
Pretreatment with CBD significantly reduced anxiety, cognitive impairment, and discomfort in their speech performance, and significantly decreased alert in their anticipatory speech. The placebo group presented higher anxiety, cognitive impairment, discomfort, and alert levels when compared with the control group. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3079847/
Cannabidiol enhances the consolidation of explicit fear extinction in humans.
In a laboratory protocol designed to model post-traumatic stress disorders, CBD improved “consolidation of extinction learning”, in other words, forgetting of traumatic memories. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234105151_Cannabidiol_enhances_consolidation_of_explicit_fear_extinction_in_humans
Cannabidiol as a Potential Treatment for Anxiety Disorders
“We found that existing preclinical evidence strongly supports CBD as a treatment for generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder …” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4604171/#CR1
Effectiveness of Cannabidiol Oil for Pediatric Anxiety and Insomnia as Part of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Case Report
Anxiety and sleep disorders are often the result of posttraumatic stress disorder and can contribute to an impaired ability to focus.
The patient presented in January 2012 as displaying aggressive, disobedient, impulsive, and sexually inappropriate behaviors. She also demonstrated low self-esteem and anxiety and had poor sleep (restless, interrupted, and unable to sleep alone). An 11-year-old boy had molested her when she was 3 years old.
Cannabidiol oil, an increasingly popular treatment of anxiety and sleep issues, has been documented as being an effective alternative to pharmaceutical medications. This case study provides clinical data that support the use of cannabidiol oil as a safe treatment for reducing anxiety and improving sleep in a young girl with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Treatment involved CBD oil, 25 mg (1 capsule)/night; CBD liquid, 6–12 mg (in 2–4 sublingual sprays) as needed for anxiety, typically 2 or 3 times/wk. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5101100/
Note: Additional information on CBD and Anxiety is available at https://www.nih.gov/
- Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB, Monahan PO, Lowe B. Anxiety disorders in primary care: prevalence, impairment, comorbidity, and detection. Ann Intern Med. 2007;146:317–325. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-146-5-200703060-00004. [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
- Khan A, Leventhal RM, Khan S, Brown WA. Suicide risk in patients with anxiety disorders: a meta-analysis of the FDA database. J Affect Disord. 2002;68:183–190. doi: 10.1016/S0165-0327(01)00354-8. [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
- Olatunji BO, Cisler JM, Tolin DF. Quality of life in anxiety disorders: a meta-analytic review. Clin Psychol Rev. 2007;27:572–581. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2007.01.015. [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
- Kessler RC, Berglund P, Demler O, Jin R, Merikangas KR, Walters EE. Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005;62:593–602. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.62.6.593. [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
- Wang PS, Lane M, Olfson M, Pincus HA, Wells KB, Kessler RC. Twelve-month use of mental health services in the United States: results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005;62:629–640. doi: 10.1001/archpsyc.62.6.629. [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
