It is known that cannabidiol (CBD) can have anti-psychotic and anxiolytic effects. Can it therefore help in decreasing stress, a strong risk factor for psychosis? Can CBD be an ally in mitigating the damaging effects of psychosis?
In London the study in favour of CBD
Aware of the stress-relieving effect of CBD, at the Department of Psychosis Studies at Kings College in London, researchers conducted a study on 32 high-risk psychosis patients and 26 healthy patients. The group of patients at high risk of psychosis was divided into two halves, the first half was given 600mg of CBD, while the second half was given a placebo. Afterwards, the high-risk psychosis patients and the healthy patients were combined and subjected to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST).
The results, published in Psychopharmacology, are clear: CBD significantly reduced signs of stress in patients to whom it was administered. In particular, CBD acted by reducing blood levels of the stress hormone cortisol during a speaking test.
During the conversation test, it was possible to divide the patients into three groups: placebo patients with a high level of anxiety, healthy patients with a low level of anxiety and finally patients who were given CBD with an “intermediate level of anxiety“. This particular distinction made it possible to ascertain how CBD can be particularly helpful in situations of high stress. Its relaxing effect can be exploited for drugs, which in this way could finally be more natural and less chemical than those currently in use.
A study towards the use of CBD in the treatment of psychosis
The scholars finally concluded by stating how their study shows how it would be worthwhile to design and implement further studies that could allow in-depth investigations of CBD’s actions on the human body and mind. More in-depth studies on how CBD influences the cortisol response in patients at high risk of psychosis and the possible effects on their symptoms are crucial to create a more effective and less intrusive treatment.
