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CBD is an abbreviation for the compound known as “cannibidiol.” Surely you’ve heard something about CBD oil by now. The product comes up when discussing pain and symptom management for people suffering from multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, cancer, arthritis and other illnesses, because it works. But did you know it has unique potential as a treatment for psychosis too?
In order to understand what CBD oil can do for psychosis, we need to first know what a psychosis is. The definition of a neurosis is a mental disorder that causes chronic distress, but the patient doesn’t have delusions or hallucinations. A psychosis, on the other hand, denotes being out of touch with reality and involves delusions and hallucinations. But rather than assuming they don’t overlap, it’s best to see them as existing on a spectrum rather than a binary. That would make a psychosis a more extreme form of a neurosis. Hence, addressing a psychosis would require a stronger, not necessarily different, treatment.
Some people may have comorbidity; that’s where a neurosis has developed into a psychosis or someone has two or more conditions at the same time. For example, schizophrenia is a psychosis, but it’s possible for a schizophrenic to have OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) or depression, both of which are neuroses. Treating the patient’s issues first involves minimizing the worst symptoms, which are the delusions and hallucinations from schizophrenia.
Traditional treatment gives the patient psychotropic medication to take every day so that they are no longer disturbed by their psychosis in day-to-day living. However, this can result in codependency and being resigned to taking the medication forever. CBD oil contains psychotropic properties with no psychoactive properties; in fact, it works as an antipsychotic. If you’ve read the side effects and warnings on psychiatric medications, you’d have seen that they can exacerbate the very symptoms they are supposed to treat.
Additionally, the medications target specific symptoms, so patients often have to take a cocktail of two or more at the same time. It makes taking medication very unappealing and inconvenient. And while dietary changes are helpful, they don’t complete the full picture, either.
THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is a substance/compound in marijuana which encourages psychotic or psychotomimetic symptoms and cognitive impairment. CBD, on the other hand, has the opposite effect. It calms the patient’s anxiety, compulsions, intrusive thoughts, physical tension and memory problems. It can also work to alleviate psychotic symptoms or decrease the risk of developing psychosis from THC use – if one was using it medically.
We know that everyone has unique needs, and mental health is just as serious as physical health. We also know that CBD sublingual oil is already very promising. That’s why looking into alternative treatments is important, and the best CBD products should be included among them.
*Note: If you are under the supervision of a doctor or being treated for any ailment, please consult your physician about your interest in trying CBD. If they don’t know what it is, research really well – you can even print and bring in the research or studies concerning CBD and psychosis. The concern may be CBD and other drug interactions so make sure you check with your doctor if you see one.
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