“I'm not manic, I have OCD”
Sheldon Cooper
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a condition derived from anxiety, and as you can see in our article titled Uses of CBD to treat anxiety, Cannabidiol has proven to be successful in treating people with this disease. Because of this, studies and research have been done to test whether this cannabis works correctly for the palliative treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
In this article you will be able to learn about this condition, how CBD works to treat it, what scientists say, testimonies of the use of CBD from real people with this disorder and much more information that may interest you.
What is obsessive compulsive disorder?
Obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD, clinically speaking, is a anxiety disorder, which is characterized by making the person who suffers from it suffer from repetitive thoughts and actions like tics, to the point of creating an obsession with them, which is reflected in a state of excessive distress.
There are people who try to control or ignore these actions and thoughts, however, they fail most of the time, falling into an even greater state of irrational fear and anguish, which is why they feel the need to fall into repetitive acts. in search of relieving the stress to which they are subjected.
An example of this disorder are those people who feel that they or the place they are in is full of germs, and in an attempt to try to eliminate them completely, they clean their hands and the entire place to a harmful point, where they can even break or crack your hands from washing or cleaning them so much.
A lot of time in the daily routine is spent on these thoughts and obsessions, making the person's life difficult, sometimes causing many problems at work, at home and in their social life.
Symptoms and Causes of OCD
OCD originates in the brain, however, the causes for the brain to reflect this malfunction are unknown. What is known is that these repetitive thoughts are associated with hyperactivity caused by malfunctions in the neurotransmitter and serotonergic systems. , glutamatergic and dopaminergic on the other hand, if there are risk factors associated with this condition.
- Family background: It is well known that, in brain diseases, there is a greater risk of being vulnerable and suffering from it if a family member has suffered from it. This risk increases when the disease comes from the mother or father directly.
- Stressful situations: When a person is subjected to a traumatic event, obsessive-compulsive behavior, excessive distress, and rituals may be triggered.
- Associated diseases: A person is at greater risk of suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder when they have associated illnesses such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, disorders that cause spasms, and others.
- Tonsillitis infections: Studies have shown that both children and adolescents are more exposed to OCD if they have a tonsillitis infection that, by triggering autoimmune processes, can influence the development or progression of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Uses and benefits of CBD for obsessive compulsive disorder
OCD has various ways of being treated, through psychology, consuming drugs and even undergoing brain surgery, the most common of which is the pharmacological method. Which consists of providing antidepressants to the patient, in order to rehabilitate serotonin uptake and improve their mood; however, all OCD medications have many associated side effects.
CBD is a compound extracted from the cannabis plant, and is known for its ability to reduce anxiety, regulate stress levels, activate 5HT1A receptors to properly regulate serotonin levels, and even reduce pain through the receptors. vallinoides or TRPV1.
Cannabidiol works by regulating or stabilizing the body's endocannabinoid system or ECS, which is housed in the central nervous system, so it helps reduce feelings of fear and stress, as well as other behaviors associated with OCD.
This cannabis compound also has anti-compulsive properties, which, hand in hand with its anxiolytic properties, is capable of reducing or inhibiting obsessive-compulsive behaviorsHowever, this has only been verified in animal models such as rats, which, although it is known that their endocannabinoid system works in a similar way to that of humans, It is still necessary to do tests on people to fully confirm this..
In many cases, the most common methods to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder are considered refractory, in other words, 70% of people do not respond positively to either psychological or pharmacological treatment, while almost 90% of people who underwent surgical treatments to treat OCD were not successful by any measure.
On the other hand, CBD has been shown on numerous occasions to be ideal for palliatively treating the symptoms associated with OCD.
Research and studies on CBD
There are not many direct studies on CBD and its treatment with OCD, however, there are in relation to the typical symptoms of this disease.
Research conducted by the journal Neurotherapeutics in 2015 unquestionably demonstrates the effectiveness of CBD in reducing anxiety behaviors relevant to various disorders, including OCD, PTSD, GAD, PD, and SAD. All this without reflecting negative side effects on patients, being a completely safe medicine.
In this research they concluded that, although a person's diseases or mood disorders cannot be cured, their symptoms can be effectively and safely reduced through the use of Cannabidiol.
In 2018, a study was done to verify the anxiolytic effect of CBD, where a group of 229 male Wistar rats were subjected, first they were subjected to special procedures to develop the anxiety disorder, then they administered Cannabidiol, with which they were able to discover that a Through its action on the 5HT1A receptor, it refines serotonergic transmission and restores both allodynia and anxiety-like behavior.
In the Translational Addiction Research Laboratory, Center for Addiction and Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto, the effects of Cannabidiol on neuropsychiatric disorders were studied, resulting in CBD having antiepileptic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antipsychotic, anxiolytic and antidepressant. Furthermore, it was shown that CBD suppresses the addictive effects of some substances.
This laboratory was also able to confirm that CBD does not have significant side effects, and that the majority of cases in which nausea and diarrhea have occurred as a consequence of the use of CBD, have been directly associated with the disease in question and not with Cannabidiol. as medicine.
Methods of using CBD to treat OCD
CBD can be used in different ways, and it will always depend on the tastes of the person and the disease being treated, since there are CBD-rich creams, Oils, e-liquids for vaping and even flowers.
In obsessive-compulsive disorder, it is recommended to use Vaping methods, CBD Oils and the flowers.
The method of vaping with CBD It is rapidly absorbed, however, its effects to treat OCD do not last more than 2 hours, so the person usually has to ingest the compound many more times a day than with other methods.
The oil rich in CBD is ideal for everyone, it is easy to ingest and its effect is long-lasting, however, it takes approximately 30 minutes to act. You can ingest it sublingually, placing the necessary dose under your tongue or you can place it in your drinks and foods.
The CBD flowers They can be used both for inhaling and cooking, as well as CBD oil, it also takes 30 minutes to take effect, but it will be long-lasting. To take advantage of it in your meals, you must cook the flowers in a fatty medium such as butter, and once ready, remove the flowers and use the butter to cook. It is ideal for cookies, brownies and cupcakes, you can take it wherever you go and while you eat a snack, you take advantage of the CBD to reduce OCD symptoms.
It is advisable to combine CBD with psychological or psychiatric treatment, this will provide better results, as well as the treating doctor will be able to help regulate and establish the correct doses of CBD according to the patient's needs.
In conclusion
Over the years, the effectiveness of CBD for various treatments has been demonstrated, which, although it does not provide a cure, does It is capable of considerably improving people's style and quality of life.
To conclude, we can say that CBD still needs more studies directly related to OCD, however, as it is a disease that derives from anxiety, and that for this they have carried out enough studies to support the use of Cannabidiol, we can say that this It works perfectly for the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder.