Rates of anxiety worldwide continue to rise, especially among the younger population. According to the World Health Organization, around 3.6% of 10-14 year olds and 4.6% of 15-19 year olds experience anxiety disorder In addition, the research also noted that social isolation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in depression and anxiety among children and young adults.
It is clear that there is a mental health crisis that is seriously affecting the younger population. Mental health conditions such as anxiety can have a debilitating effect on life. This can get worse if a child is already growing through the usual growing pains. That said, a new study suggests that introducing your child to CBD oil can help them manage their feelings of anxiety.
CBD for your child’s anxiety?
CBD is a compound found in the cannabis plant. Unlike THC, which is the ingredient responsible for giving marijuana users a high, CBD has no psychoactive effects. CBD has been associated with a number of health benefits, so much so that CBD as a wellness ingredient has become a multi-billion dollar industry. One of the benefits associated with CBD has been its effect on mental health, especially anxiety. As such, researchers at Orygen, a non-profit company focused on mental health research in adolescents and children, sought to find out if CBD can boast the same benefits in younger people.
“We are seeing more and more young people suffer from anxiety – it is the fastest growing form of mental illness among young people and we urgently need innovation in treatment.
Cannabidiol is a promising treatment option that appears to be safe and effective. We need more research to confirm this and explore its value.” –Patrick McGorry, study co-investigator, professor and executive director of Orygen.
For the pilot to studypublished in in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, researchers recruited 31 participants from Orygen’s primary care services. Participants were between 12 and 25 years old and had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Unfortunately, they did not achieve improvement after five sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy.
About the study
Each participant received a 200 milligrams capsule of cannabidiol per day, which increased to 400 milligrams after a week. For those who showed no significant improvement, their dose was increased in 200-milligram increments up to 800 milligrams per day. Participants were also offered fortnightly sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy for 12 weeks, even though they had not responded to previous therapy.
Participants were also asked to fill out a questionnaire about symptoms such as panic attacks, situational anxieties, worries and flashbacks.
Relieves anxiety symptoms
