In a new review study, researchers examined evidence that suggests the endocannabinoid system (ECS)may play a role in helping relieve symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and other similar conditions.
CBD for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
OCD is a complex psychological condition in which patients have uncontrollable, recurring thoughts (obsessions) and behaviors (compulsions) and the urge to repeat actions over and over. In the United States, 2% to 3% of the adult population and according to a study published in May 2015 in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, up to an estimated 4% of children and adolescents have OCD.
Medical Marijuana and OCD – what are the research results?
NYSPI and Weill Cornell Medical College in New York performed the study, which noted: “[S]ome patients with OCD who smoke cannabis anecdotally report that it relieves their symptoms and mitigates anxiety, and several case reports describe patients whose OCD symptoms improved after they were treated with cannabinoids.”
In a pilot study analyzed by the team, 16 severe OCD patients who underwent therapy and receivednabilone — a synthetic form of THC that acts on the brain’s ECS — had nearly twice the reduction in symptoms after four weeks compared with their counterparts who received nabilone alone, or those who received cognitive therapy alone. Kayser explained that nabilone works similarly to THC but does not have all of the chemical components of cannabis.
He noted that animal models and human imaging studies have suggested that cannabinoids can also enhance fear extinction learning, which involves creating a response that counters the fear response. “People who have fears — like flying, PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder], or OCD — have problems with fear extinction learning,” Kayser told Weedmaps News. “We know that CB1 receptor can boost that form of learning and help alleviate those fears.”
You can read the full article about Medical Marijuana and OCD: https://news.weedmaps.com/2019/08/cannabinoids-could-help-treat-ocd-researchers-suggest/
