Promising New Research on CBD and Treatment-Resistant Anxiety in Youth
There has been a lot of new promising research coming out on the positive impacts CBD (Cannabidiol) may have for the treatment of anxiety disorders.
This latest research was led by Dr. Paul Amminger, a research fellow at Australia’s Orygen, National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health.
In August, 2022 Berger and his team published their paper in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry titled, Cannabidiol for Treatment-Resistant Anxiety Disorders in Young People: An Open-Label Trial.
This study followed 31 young people aged 12 to 25 clinically diagnosed with an anxiety disorder with no improvement despite therapeutic and pharmaceutical treatment. The researchers looked to see if these “treatment-resistant” patients could improve their hard-to-treat symptoms through a regimen of CBD oil.
Research into CBD oil as a treatment for anxiety disorders has been on the rise as more and more countries make CBD medically available, and the results have been promising. For instance, a 2015 research review titled, Cannabidiol as a Potential Treatment for Anxiety Disorders, concluded that, “existing preclinical evidence strongly supports CBD as a treatment for generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, obsessive–compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.”
It is worth noting, that while there have been some robust research findings on the use of CBD for anxiety disorders, it is still early days and there remains a lot of work to determine the effectiveness and efficacy of the use of CBD in this regard.
In the Amminger study of 31 youth, the researchers administered a daily dose of CBD oil to their patients over a 12-week period. After 12-weeks of CBD treatment, the researchers found that symptoms of anxiety in their patients fell 42% on average. Anxiety symptoms were measured using the Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale (OASIS).
In describing his research and these very encouraging findings, Amminger says that,
“I think the problem with current treatments for anxiety is that they only work in about half the people to whom they’re offered. That treatments aren’t working is, of course, extremely frustrating for the young person, for their families but also for the psychologists and the psychiatrists who treat those young people.”
Amminger continues,
“There is a lot of hope that a novel compound which is benign, like cannabidiol [CBD] could ease mental health problems.”
You can watch a video here that summarizes the research conducted by Amminger and his team.
Amminger’s research team plans to conduct a larger clinical trial with “probably 200 to 250” youth to help validate these initial findings.
If you think you might benefit from the use of CBD for your health symptoms, talk to your family doctor. You can also set up a free, confidential online consultation with our team at Hello MD to see if CBD might help you. It’s free, takes about the same time as a regular doctor’s appointment (minus the waiting room) and they can go over your medical history and make recommendations on a course of action using CBD.