By Cannabidiol (CBD) may offer a wide range of potential health benefits, and researchers are eager to learn more about them. Little research yet indicates that it might help with the management of pain, anxiety, and epilepsy.
There is still more to learn about CBD, including if it may be used to treat other conditions like Schizophrenia.
A dangerous mental condition called Schizophrenia affects a person’s perception of reality. It may cause symptoms like delusions, hallucinations, and disturbed speech or thinking.
Worldwide, there are more than 20 million people who have Schizophrenia, but more than 69 percent do not receive proper treatment. Antipsychotics, which have serious side effects and are frequently prescribed for the mental health condition, may not be an option for certain people, who are forced to look for alternatives. Is it possible to treat Schizophrenia with CBD? To find out, keep reading:
What studies have looked at CBD and Schizophrenia?
There has been limited research on CBD and Schizophrenia in humans, but not enough to prove that CBD should be used as a treatment for the condition. Here is what we currently know.
Negative and positive effects caused by CBD on cognition
An assessment of 2021
Observational studies have shown, according to Trusted Source, that cannabis use is associated with worse symptoms and outcomes in patients with Schizophrenia. Contrarily, cannabis has a much higher concentration of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) than CBD and can contain over 100 different cannabinoids.
THC is what gives cannabis is “high” feeling. The investigation compared the results of 11 CBD and THC trials on Schizophrenia, both separately and in combination.
According to the review, both cannabinoids had contradictory effects on cognition, undesirable symptoms, and desirable symptoms. It came to the conclusion that there is not enough data to suggest CBD or THC for the treatment of Schizophrenia.
Another study from 2021
CBD might help with cognition. Forty-two people with Schizophrenia participated in the trial and were given CBD or the antipsychotic drug amisulpride.
Although there were cognitive benefits from both drugs, CBD was associated with fewer side effects. It’s important to keep in mind that this was a small study including mostly young men.
Psychosis
People with Schizophrenia may experience psychosis, which is a loss of awareness of reality.
In two of three clinical trials, CBD was linked to some relief of psychotic symptoms, according to a 2021 review of CBD with psychosis studies. However, the trials were tiny, with the smallest having only 36 participants and the largest having 88.
According to the analysis, large-scale clinical trials are necessary to show CBD’s effectiveness for treating psychosis, especially in those who are experiencing it for the first time.
Is it possible for CBD to lead to Schizophrenia?
Even though there is no proof that CBD causes Schizophrenia, certain studies imply that THC exposure in adolescence may target signaling pathways related to the disorder.
THC use has also been related to the onset of Schizophrenia in those who are genetically predisposed to the condition. These statistics may not prove causation, however, as people who are more prone to develop Schizophrenia may also be more likely to use THC.
That’s not to argue that using THC as a child will make you develop Schizophrenia. Although the precise causation of Schizophrenia is unknown, a mix of biological, genetic, and environmental factors is most likely to be responsible.
