Does CBD Improve Mental Health?

CBD is so hot right now. The compound is being added to everything from gummies to lattes, attached to claims about how it can improve health in any number of ways. But what do we really know about the validity of those claims? And what are we actually getting in consumer CBD products?

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Aaron Carroll -- Writer
Meredith Danko – Social Media
Tiffany Doherty -- Writer and Script Editor
John Green -- Executive Producer
Stan Muller -- Director, Producer
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[rebeccajones]

It helps me sleep. I haven't noticed any other effects, but my insomnia is from my depression, and the lack of sleep makes the depression worse. It's like CBD helps stop the spiral. It's one of the few things that lets me stay asleep for 8 hours.

[jennrodriguezdaluz]

"you have to eat 30 gummies in one sitting"

don't threaten me with a good time

[RunescapNerdHar]

More research is needed, hopefully governments can stop holding back such research as time goes on

[Karreth]

I'd also like a longitudinal study to see if CBD could decrease anxiety and other symptoms over time, along side therapy or on it's own. If it decreases anxiety after you've done a task, it may help you learn that the anxiety inducing tasks aren't actually dangerous and lower the anxiety response over time.

[michaelmcclain]

Have anxiety with panic attacks. 18% cbd 100mg has drastically changed my life

[alexhaes]

My anxiety disorder is as good as gone. Now sometimes I still worry about getting a panic attack, but then at the time where just thinking about it, normally starts the panic attack, it just fades away as anxiety is at zero.

[RyanKentBarnhart]

Unfortunately I changed two variables at the same time (vaping CBD, and switching to a calorie restricted, intermittent fasting keto diet). So I don't know which or what combination is responsible. But since those changes I have experienced a HUGE improvement in my anxiety level and mental clarity. Hell, it could even be a placebo effect, or some other unknown factor. But whatever is at work here has radically changed my quality of life over the last 18 months.

[kj]

I smoke/vape hemp flower and it’s changed my life and has healed my anxiety so much!

[coopaloop]

Just wanted to say thanks to you and the team for putting these educational healthcare videos together! It is great to have a source where someone has compiled all the studies and summarizes them in an actionable way

[keepitmoving]

My family member who has scizophrenia, disorganized/grandious type has definately benefited from the addition of cbd only canabis to his care team treatment plan. Approaching his mid 30"s It's helped greatly reducing his disorganized speech and thoughts, false beliefs and memory's, helped with the parkinsonian side effects of his medications and, helped him almost eliminate loose associations. Important to note he has no mood disorders, anxiety or paranoia issues with his form of schizophrenia. We work with our psychiatrist, pharmacisi and care team and include them in all decisions and at home keep a diary to monitor the affects. The addition of CBD has most certainly helped a great deal in his ongoing recovery

[virutech]

i love this increase in the acceptance of studying less traditional drugs these days but yeah we've seem to have confounded safety with efficacy. it's the same sort of backlash we've gotten with regular cannabis where the dangers were widely exaggerated & as it becomes more accepted & we learn that its safer some people have taken that further than reasonable. it's understandable, especially with how much discrimination has accompanied those lies but it's important to remember that sometimes things are neither black or white but grey. thanks for the vid. much love.

[kiraluta]

This is the third time that I buy CBD oil from LeafBoutique Portugal for a very close relative who has been using the oil with success since May 2020 to keep anxiety at bay. This person was in very dark places before as medicines were not working. In May we tried to think outside the box and give CBD oil a try, with the psychiatrist's permission. The situation improved slowly but surely, and now life is much better.

[DampeSN]

I've _assumed_ that the CBD I take for my panic disorder is a placebo. Placebos are awesome. Regardless, in my case it took me from nightly panic attacks that would last between 30 minutes and _all night_ in length; down to maybe one a month at bed time. And it reduced daytime panic attacks as well, though not as dramatically. This was probably life saving for me.

And safer than other solutions. Before CBD I was on an antidepressant - which worked ok but was unpleasant for a host of reasons, and before that Xanax, which worked but isn't good to be on long term. CBD has worked better by far than both of those. I don't know why, I don't care why. I might not be here today without it.

Maybe I can switch to something cheaper and get the same effect? Is there a way to do that and still gain the placebo effect as strongly?

[bazoo]

A piece of anecdotal evidence: for a while (two months) CBD-lacerd oil served as a rather good anti-anxiety placebo for me. I stopped using it, and the effect (better sleep) remains after six months. Human mind is amazing and perplexing.

[dawidlaszuk]

I appreciate your critical analysis on this topic, and in general, which is why I'm watching this channel. In regards to CBD, I'm fairly confident that there's something in commercial products beyond placebo. Actually, I'm surprised they didn't test commercially available doses and went for high doses. For one, I received CBD gummy from my friend and gave it to my partner who was in lots of stress at the time. I didn't tell her what the gummy was and did little to pursued her that it isn't an average gummy. Her anxiety quickly dropped and kept low for some time. This was the first time we tried CBD. We rarely drink alcohol, have daily coffee and nothing from other substances.

[mschrisfrank]

It didn’t help my sleep or anxiety. The topical stuff helps my muscle soreness…but that could be related to the essential oils it also contains.

[Cvoor]

It has helped my anxiety greatly, and motivation, so it's doing something, and I take 50 mg a day.

[jessinicole]

I cry at a drop of a hat. I’m highly sensitive. It’s very hard at time being overly emotional/ overwhelmed . I micro dose for the first time and I notice a video where I would usually cry and I didn’t. So I turned on a soldiers coming home videos(instant cry fest). Nothing. No placebo affect here. That’s was a miracle in my eyes.

[DarrenRockwell]

If I take expense CBD in a large dose I feel it a LOT. Feels like a benzo but without the tiredness. I think much much higher doses are needed.

[AndrewB]

Yes and I have a Severe Traumatic Brain Injury and I’ve had it for almost a decade and it completely eliminates the stress and anxiety of my injury and I will NEVER have connections in knowing anything about my accident, EVER! I was Comatose and in Rehabilitative Therapy for years and everything in UPMC and my Neurosurgeon was Dr. Okonkwo