Obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD is a mental health condition that can result in intrusive thoughts and repetitive behavior. Statistics show that OCD affects about two to three percent of people across the world. Medication and cognitive behavioral therapy are the standard treatment for OCD. However, many patients do not experience a major reduction in their symptoms even after undergoing these treatments. This is why many people thought about using CBD for OCD treatment.
Many CBD users anecdotally claim that CBD products can help relieve their OCD symptoms and studies and researches are still ongoing to examine the potential of CBD products to treat OCD. Even though researches are still in the early stages, the results of some studies are promising. Read along to know more about using CBD to treat OCD symptoms.
CBD To Treat OCD
Presently, the ability of CBD to treat OCD is anecdotal and theoretical. This is because only a limited number of studies and research examining the effectiveness of CBD in the treatment of OCD is available. A few case reports revealed that the OCD patients experienced improved symptoms after being medicated with CBD or other cannabinoids. However, more large-scale clinical trials are required to assess the safety and effectiveness of CBD in the treatment of OCD.
In a study that was conducted in 2020, researchers studied the effectiveness of cannabis on people with OCD. The patients reported a reduction in anxiety, compulsions, and intrusive thoughts. The study also revealed that using cannabis with higher doses of CBD resulted in a larger reduction of compulsions.
How Is CBD Believed To Help With OCD?
CBD is a non-psychoactive compound with many effects on the users like pain relief and potential reduction of depression and anxiety. There can be many causes of OCD, but there is growing evidence that the endocannabinoid system of our body plays an important role in regulating repetitive behaviors, fear, anxiety, etc. Our endocannabinoid system has an important role to play in the regulation of mood, sleep, appetite, and many other processes. CBD can interconnect with the endocannabinoid system and generate changes to these procedures.
Final Thoughts
As said earlier, researchers examining the capability of CBD to treat OCD are still in the beginning stages. However, anecdotal evidence and the results of some studies show that CBD may help in the management of symptoms of OCD. However, before using CBD to treat OCD you need to talk with your doctor to devise a holistic treatment plan.