CBD FAQs Series: CBD Mental Effects

CBD FAQs Series: Mental Effects

CBD & Mental Effects
(How It Affects Your Mind and Brain)

1.  a) Can CBD affect emotion? b) Does CBD oil make you more emotional?

My Take

Before taking off to research this, let me just say that any time you use a pain reliever you are going to feel relief from any pain or discomfort thereby elevating your mood so you feel happier. So the answer to whether or not CBD can affect your emotions is an obvious yes, but it’s more of a bi-product than a direct effect.

Furthermore, when the pain relief wears off, you are going to experience the downside of that and you may become agitated that the pain has returned. So you might experience one or more negative emotions whether directly or indirectly.

Not to trip down a mushroom path of psychology, but emotions are a learned and reactionary behavior. When you’re first conceived, you have no idea how to “feel”, otherwise you’d be pissed off for what you’re about to go through over the next nine months… Then you get your butt whooped upon entering this crazy world.

“Hi there, new guy… {SMACK} How are ya?”
“Wah, wah, waaaaaaaahhhh!”

And now you’re pissed! Congratulations… You are emoting.

I don’t think anybody really knows when we first begin to experience emotions. But it’s my personal belief that we begin to feel the emotions of our mothers while still in the womb. But this isn’t psych 101 now, is it?

It is also my opinion that any outside influence, whether it be drugs or the fact that your girlfriend just dumped you, can affect your emotions.

Let’s see if we can find some evidence on the matter of whether CBD can affect your emotions.

CBD Research Related To Emotion – Their Take

“…the potential of CBD to help with emotions is quite promising.”, – LindseyElmore.com

and “When evaluating the brain-healing potential of CBD oil, the studies refer to CBD’s ability to protect living neurons (neuroprotection), to help form new connections (neuroplasticity), and to trigger the formation of new neurons (neurogenesis). Most of the findings indicate that CBD is key for neuroplasticity in that it directly affects neurotransmitters.” – LindseyElmore.com

I highly recommend reading this article in its entirety. If the studies mentioned within are accurate then CBD is extremely beneficial to brain health.

And if CBD does have a positive effect on neurogenesis then I can see where it can affect those who are disassociated with their emotions in a different and more powerful manner than those who are more in touch with them.

“…CBD did not produce detectable subjective effects or alterations in mood or anxiety.

Conclusion: These findings indicate that CBD has minimal behavioral and subjective effects in healthy volunteers, even when they are presented with emotional stimuli.” – NIH PubMed Central

I believe the evidence of this study supports my stance inconclusively.

“CBD also has the potential to aggravate some symptoms such as anxiety, sleep problems, and psychosis. If you are still interested in trying CBD as an addition to your regular treatment, work with a healthcare provider who can help monitor your symptoms.” – VeryWellMind.com Extracted from their Meta Description for their article “5 Mental Health Uses for CBD” on a Google search page under a “People Also Ask” question “Does CBD oil make you more emotional?”.

Obviously, whether or not CBD is beneficial is quite a controversial subject. There are claims that it curbs anxiety and psychosis plus helps you sleep better, and from this last quote that it does just the opposite with these problems.

I realize that neither this quote nor the related article has much to do with emotions. Still, for some reason, it is the article directly related to the Google “some people also ask” question, “Does CBD oil make you more emotional?”… Go figure.

Therefore

My conclusion is that CBD does not directly affect human emotions. Any emotional side effects experienced by people will be specific to their own emotional state and the conditions under which the CBD was used from what I understand.

I figure it’s sort of like drinking alcohol… in my case anyway. If I am in a good mood when I go out drinking, I’m going to have a good time. Unless of course, something happens to swing my mood in a different direction like someone hitting on my date or flicking a cigarette in my face.

Conversely, if I’m in a bad mood when I go out drinking, I’ll be prone to having a bad time. Unless something happens to swing my mood like meeting a friend who cheers me up.

2.  Can CBD cause anger?

My Take

First I want to throw my own opinion at you before doing my research…

THC is the main psychoactive agent in weed. I believe CBD generally has a calming effect on a person. It affects the body more so than the mind.

Let’s consider “full-spectrum” CBD. It can have trace amounts of THC and can have a minute effect on the mind. Although, I don’t think it will have enough of an effect to alter your base attitude.

Now we get to the gist of the matter… Your base attitude. If you have a tendency to become angry, then almost any mood-altering substance can trigger your anger.

As we will discover, CBD doesn’t really have a direct effect on your mood. Therefore, I believe there is no way it can trigger anger in people.

Take people who drink alcohol for example. Barring any outside influence, you have happy-go-lucky people and then there are those who tend to become angry and violent at the slightest provocation when they are drinking.

I believe the reason for this is due to a person’s psychological profile. Life’s influences and the way we react to them tend to shape who we are at a base level.

If we harbor anger and resentment, these emotions will tend to surface when we add disinhibitors to the mix. Conversely, if we are generally happy and of sound mind, then we are less likely to become angry under similar conditions.

Anger is psychologically induced, not drug-induced. Now I will go do some research to see if anyone wants to try to prove my hypothesis wrong.

CBD Research Related To Anger – Their Take

“Side effects of CBD include nausea, fatigue, and irritability.” – health.harvard.edu

None of these side effects are anger related but could trigger anger in those susceptible to becoming angered when experiencing such conditions.

“Cannabis use can be linked to anger, rage, and aggression in certain individuals,” says Krakower. “It is proposed that alterations in the endocannabinoid system may be the cause of these symptoms.” – webmd.com

“According to Tavis Glassman, Ph.D., Population Health Professor at The University of Toledo, anger, and irritability are common after abruptly stopping cannabis.” – webmd.com

I’m still going to stick to my guns and say that only those prone to anger will become angered. Irritability I will agree with. I experienced that myself when I smoked weed a lot and suddenly couldn’t find any. Besides, these last two quotes have to do with cannabis and marijuana use, as did my statement about myself, not specifically CBD use.

The following quote helps support my case. And it was sourced from the very same WebMD article as the previous quotes.

“Anger as a side effect of cannabis may be more of a concern with individuals with preexisting mood conditions, such as bipolar disorder, and in people with a specific genetic makeup. In a multi-team DNA study of 118 men, individuals with mutations in the cannabinoid receptor type 1 scored higher on an anger scale after smoking marijuana.” – webmd.com

And further evidence from Mental Health Daily…

“…the specific side effects, severities of each side effect, and total number of side effects that you experience while using CBD – will be unique to you; not all users will share your experience.” – mentalhealthdaily.com

“Included below is a comprehensive list of CBD side effects that persons who ingest cannabidiol might experience.” – mentalhealthdaily.com

• Appetite Reduction
• Brain Fog
• Cognitive Impairment
• Depression
• Diarrhea
• Dizziness
• Dry Mouth
• Heart Rate Change
• Irritability
• Insomnia
• Lightheadedness
• Low Blood Pressure
• Motor Impairment
• Tiredness or Drowsiness
• Tremors
• Weight Loss

Side-effects of CBD according to mentalhealthdaily.com.

And once again, none of these side effects are “anger” or all that anger related. Irritability is the only one even remotely related to anger. Although, a few others can lead to anger if the person experiencing them is subjected to a triggering mechanism.

They go on to discuss that the circumstances of ingesting CBD can influence the side effects one may have. These circumstances can be anything from how the CBD was ingested to the time of day and whether taken on an empty stomach or not.

Therefore

My conclusion is that CBD does not cause anger in people unless they are prone to becoming angered in the first place and experience an outside influence that triggers the anger.

If you are a mellow person to begin with, you will be less prone to becoming angered regardless of which negative side effects you experience if any.

In my opinion, it would take a very powerful substance indeed to alter your base nature. That can normally only occur over a long stressful period of time under extreme duress.

Since anger is an emotion my opinion correlates to the effects of CBD on emotions. For more information see the question “Can CBD affect emotion?”

3.  a) Can CBD cause depression? b) Is CBD an antidepressant? c) Is CBD better than antidepressants? d) Is CBD effective for depression and anxiety? e) How long does it take for CBD to help depression? f) How much CBD do you need for depression?

My Take

I’m afraid that I am ahead of the game here. I have already read many articles stating that CBD seems to be a good candidate to help those suffering from depression.

On the flip side of that, at least one article I’ve read listed depression as a side-effect of CBD use. There’s that wonderful internet controversy. Who’s right and who’s wrong?

Of the sources you might consider to be more authoritative we have sites like nlm.nih.gov (NIH PubMed Central), HealthLine.com, MedicalNewsToday.com, and GoodRX.com among others, that state CBD may help with depression.

MentalHealthDaily.com  lists depression as a side effect of CBD use.

One site you might consider authoritative in the medical field is WebMD.com. However, due to some examples shown below, I really don’t have much confidence in their authors’/editors’ knowledge concerning cannabis-related matters…

“CBD is an abbreviation for cannabinoid.” – WebMD.com

Well, strike one… We all know that CBD is an abbreviation for cannabidiol… not cannabinoid,

“Cannabidiol (CBD) is a chemical in the Cannabis sativa plant, also known as cannabis or hemp.” – WebMD.com

Well, this is more correct… but it’s also in the C. Indica and C. Ruderalis plants is it not?

“Over 80 chemicals, known as cannabinoids, have been found in the Cannabis sativa plant.” – WebMD.com

Yeah! Well over 80 chemicals… Most sources state at least 113 cannabinoids. Why is there so little knowledge about such a controversial plant? And how could it have been deemed illegal with so little known about it?

“Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the most famous ingredient in cannabis. But CBD is obtained from hemp, a form of the Cannabis sativa plant that only contains small amounts of THC.” – WebMD.com

Oooh! The “most famous”… how scientific! And we all know that CBD can be obtained from “hemp”. But it can also be obtained from any type of cannabis. It just wouldn’t be federally legal.

That makes 2 separate articles from WebMD.com that aren’t quite right when it comes to information about CBD. Have we struck out the whole lineup yet?

“Proponents of CBD oil and other CBD products claim that it can be used to treat conditions such as chronic pain, inflammation, migraines, epilepsy, autoimmune diseases, depression, and anxiety.” – WebMD.com

Well, they gave depression a mention but were very careful not to commit to any endorsement by saying “proponents claim”.

“The rest of the potential uses — as an antipsychotic, antidepressant or sleep aid ‘have all been studied in animals, with only one or two examples of studies in humans,’ Bonn-Miller said.” – WebMD.com

“Since CBD is an approved prescription drug, it can’t be legally included in foods or dietary supplements.” – WebMD.com

A little side note here… This worries me that the medical world will take over the CBD trade entirely and the FDA will render it illegal to possess or produce without their oversight and approval.

I said don’t get me started on this crap! I have a serious issue with government regulatory agencies that tend to overstep their bounds!

OK, I gotta get back on track. Off to do some research.

CBD Research Related To Depression – Their Take

“…the possible benefits of CBD for depression in humans are mostly speculative…” – HealthLine.com

“Still, CBD does appear to have some benefits for depression, especially for dealing with:

• anxiety
• cognitive impairment
• discomfort before public speaking” – HealthLine.com

“Experts believe that CBD’s potential benefits for depression are related to its positive effect on serotonin receptors in the brain.” – HealthLine.com

Is it just me, or does HealthLine backslide a bit… going from the benefits of CBD for depression being speculative, to possible, to potential? Then outright saying that CBD has benefits over antidepressant medications in this next quote.

“When it comes to treating depression, CBD does appear to have some benefits over antidepressant medications.” – HealthLine.com

Next is a statement of CBD’s benefits over antidepressant medications, quickly followed by what amounts to a “liability” disclaimer.

“Caution

While CBD may offer some benefits over antidepressant medications, it isn’t a replacement. Never stop taking prescribed medication, especially antidepressants, without talking to your healthcare provider first.” – HealthLine.com

“In my psychiatric practice, I usually add CBD to help calm anxiety, improve sleep or stabilize mood. I’m less likely to suggest it purely for depression, especially when the symptoms of depression include a lot of sluggishness and lethargy. However, most people with depression also have anxiety and/or insomnia, either of which can make it much harder to recover from the depression itself. So, if we can calm the nervous system, and especially if we can support better sleep, the chances of recovery from depression may improve dramatically.” – NaturalMentalhealth.com

This was a bold statement from a psychiatric professional concerning the use of CBD to treat peripheral issues to help alleviate depression. I trust he understands the effects CBD can have on other medications they may have prescribed to their patients if any.

“CBD appears to work directly on serotonin receptors…
…it often helps to add something that works a bit differently on the serotonin system. That may be a reason to consider augmenting with CBD.” – NaturalMentalhealth.com

Both of these sources, Healthline and Natural Mental Health seem to endorse the use of CBD in helping to treat depression in some fashion. There is a good reason that reputable sources balk at saying that CBD can be used directly to treat any sickness or disease. That’s because the FDA would be on them like white-on-rice!

According to a book I read, “Natural Cures They Don’t Want You To Know About” by Kevin Trudeau, there was once a man who owned a bakery and seemed to have discovered an actual cure for some form of cancer. Shortly after having made this claim, his bread was in high demand.

It didn’t take long before the FDA came blazing in with guns drawn to confiscate his entire inventory, recipes, and any other trace of the “illegal” bread!

It seems the FDA has a rule that you can not claim that anything other than an FDA-approved “drug” can treat or cure a disease. Doesn’t that sort of make the AMA a monopoly?

So before you stand on the street corner claiming that you have limes for sale that are a cure for scurvy… think again! The FDA will have you ostracized in a heartbeat!

I told you not to get me started on this crap!

“At present, there is some evidence that CBD may help improve depression.

In studies, CBD has been shown to potentially alter serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is involved in emotion regulation, stress, and mood.” – GoodRX.com

“But while CBD may help with depression, it can interfere with the effects of other medications and can cause side effects (more on this below). It is best to talk to your physician or psychiatrist before taking these products.” – GoodRX.com

Read the article for the “(more on this below)” stuff.

“Users reported a 50% reduction in symptoms of depression. The researchers also found that a high amount of CBD (>9.5%) and low amount of THC (<5.5%) produced the largest improvements in depression.” – GoodRX.com

This quote reinforces my stance that CBD and THC (and other compounds within cannabis) work best when used in conjunction with one another.

“A 2019 case study of an adolescent with multiple substance use disorders, depression, and anxiety found that CBD treatment over an 8-week period resulted in a decrease in depression and anxiety symptoms. The person was also able to attain abstinence from all substances and stop taking antidepressant medications.” – GoodRX.com

Please note that this is a case study on a single individual. I’m sure that results would vary with different people.

I have found very little evidence that CBD can cause depression and a ton of it supporting the opposite stance, that CBD can be used to help alleviate depression. I’ve also found some claims that it is superior to mainstream antidepressant medications.

Concerning the last two questions of how long CBD takes to help depression and how much to take, these questions are best left to the professionals to answer and would be on a case-by-case basis in my opinion.

Therefore

The claims that CBD can cause depression are overwhelmingly unsubstantiated.
Conversely, it is more likely to be a treatment for depression than a causal agent thereof.

My conclusion is that CBD may be used as an antidepressant and that you should seek the advice of a competent professional before using it.

 

4.  a) Can CBD cause mood changes or moodiness? b) Can CBD give you mood swings? c) How much CBD should I take for mood swings? d) Can CBD put you in a good mood? e) Why does CBD make me grumpy?

My Take

Right off the bat, I would say it can definitely cause mood changes. And I think you know why if you’ve read the previous questions. I also think it can cause moodiness and I will tell you why after I reaffirm why I think it changes moods.

I believe mood changes would be just like how CBD affects emotions. You take CBD, it relieves your pain or discomfort, and voila… mood changed for the better!

As to why it could make you grumpy… First off you may have a tendency to be grumpy. Plus it may be a side effect or withdrawal symptom from returning to your normalcy.

But causing moodiness is a different thing. I believe that the only way it would cause moodiness (or grumpiness) is when the effects wear off and you didn’t use it for a time. As far as whether it could cause moodiness from using it regularly? I have no idea but I will update this if I discover some answers.

I believe using CBD can put you in a good mood. Not in and of itself, but as a result of relieving you from pain or discomfort. But, if you’re not getting relief from adverse symptoms then, no, it more than likely won’t put you in a good mood.

Much like CBD won’t put you in a bad mood or cause moodiness, it doesn’t affect your mood or emotions directly. It can have an indirect effect on either though by giving you some sort of relief.

CBD Research Related To Moodieness – Their Take

“Since CBD interacts with a wide variety of molecular targets in the brain, its therapeutic potential has been investigated in a number of neuropsychiatric diseases, including anxiety and mood disorders. Specifically, CBD has received growing attention due to its anxiolytic and antidepressant properties. As a consequence, and given its safety profile, CBD is considered a promising new agent in the treatment of anxiety and mood disorders.” – NIH PubMed Central

Here is a mention of CBD’s antidepressant properties to add to the questions of the benefit to depression.

“According to a report from the World Health Organization, ‘In humans, CBD exhibits no effects indicative of any abuse or dependence potential…. To date, there is no evidence of public health-related problems associated with the use of pure CBD.’” – Health.Harvard.edu

You can request a link to download the World Health Organization Pdf report referred to within this article by emailing us: info@loudnchronic.com with “Request for WHO CBD Report” in the subject line.

“CBD may also result in fewer side effects than antidepressant medication. Insomnia, sexual dysfunction, mood swings, and agitation are common side effects of antidepressants. CBD has not shown similar issues.” – HealthLine.com

And they are slow to recognize CBD as a viable treatment for medical issues because of side effects?

“Unless your doctor recommends a specific dose, start by taking 10 to 20 mg a day. Take this for a week to ensure that it is well-tolerated and that you don’t experience any unwanted effects or an allergic reaction.” – VeryWellmed.com

The evidence that I’ve uncovered suggests that CBD is more suited as a treatment for mood disorders rather than a causative agent thereof.

Therefore

I have to conclude that CBD is much more beneficial for moody people than an agitator.

This also leads me to believe that mood swings in people are more likely caused by underlying psychological conditions rather than ANY outside influence.

5.  Can CBD cause sadness?

My Take

I think my explanation of whether CBD can cause sadness will be fairly close to whether it can affect emotions as sadness is an emotion. I think that if you have use CBD before, you would be less happy, and less relieved, so therefore somewhat saddened by not using it.

I think that if you used it for pain and it didn’t live up to expectations that it might make you sad. But I don’t believe CBD use in and of itself can make you sad.

I’ll trip off and do some research to see what the “experts” say about it.

CBD Research Related To Sadness – Their Take

I couldn’t find any evidence of CBD’s effects on “sadness”. However, there is plenty of evidence that it can be used to help alleviate depression, therefore possibly sadness as well.

[For more information on CBD and depression, see the question: Can CBD cause depression?]

Therefore

Due to the lack of any evidence that CBD can cause sadness, I must conclude that it does not.

[Sadness is an emotion. For more information on the effects of CBD on emotion, see the question “Can CBD affect emotion?”]

6.  Can CBD cause anxiety?

My Take

During my recent research, I noticed that there are different claims about whether CBD causes or actually curbs anxiety.

Some authorities list anxiety as a side-effect of CBD. Yet others say that it can help alleviate anxiety.

It’s hard to determine right or wrong in such cases. It could be that both are right.

I’m thinking that using CBD, lessens anxiety. Then when the effects wear off, as in the case of someone in a study when they are no longer using CBD, they become anxious and irritable.

I personally don’t believe CBD causes anxiety. I believe it is caused by stress and out-of-control emotions. I think that highly emotional people are prone to anxiety and that level-headed people who have their emotions under control are less likely to succumb to anxiety as a side-effect of using CBD.

Let’s learn what the experts have to say.

CBD Research Related To Anxiety – Their Take

“And if you ingest CBD with a certain amount of THC, you’re also subject to the side effects, including delusions and hallucinations. Plus, there’s a chance these effects won’t go away when the effects of the drug wear off.” – ClevelandClinic.org

I came across this while conducting research and found it quite humorous… and WAY off base. I’m really hoping they are referring to effects other than those noted not wearing off after the THC wears off.

And even still, there’s no way that the amounts of THC that would be found in CBD oil will cause “delusions” and/or “hallucinations”.

“…the scientific evidence just isn’t there for using CBD to help with anxiety, concludes Dr. Streem.” – ClevelandClinic.org 

This article points out that much of the CBD available on the market doesn’t live up to its claims of CBD and THC amounts and that some of it can contain contaminants.

“’CBD is one of the chemicals present in cannabis-containing plants,’ explains Dr. Streem.” – ClevelandClinic.org 

I wonder if he meant to say “cannabinoid-containing plants”. Because most of us know that cannabis, ie: Cannabis Indica and Cannabis Sativa are scientific names referring to Refer, Loud, Chronic, Marijuana, Weed, Grass, etc.!

“Early research is promising regarding the ability of CBD oil to help relieve anxiety.” – HealthLine.com

“For generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)Trusted Source says that CBD has been shown to reduce stress in animals such as rats.” – HealthLine.com

This HealthLine.com article published in April 2020 mentions promising early research, whereas the ClevelandClinic.org article published in April 2022 makes it sound like research may be a long time in coming.

“…no such high-quality data exists for CBD and anxiety yet.

And if you’re waiting on those studies to turn out evidence, get comfortable.” – ClevelandClinic.org

“In 2011, a study researched CBD’s effects on people with SAD. Participants were given an oral dose of 400 milligrams (mg) of CBD or a placebo. Those who received CBD experienced overall reduced anxiety levels.” – HealthLine.com

And of course, HealthLine.com shows that research done back in 2011 shows positive results of CBD helping people with anxiety. I suppose when you “do” research, you get whatever answer you pay for… Oh, and by the way, SAD is short for Social Anxiety Disorder.

“…existing preclinical evidence strongly supports the potential of CBD as a treatment for anxiety disorders.” –  NIH PubMed Central

“I began using it for THC induced anxiety. But sometimes in trying to overcome it, I use too much CBD, and my endocannabinoid system gets overloaded. Any cannabinoid will cause anxiety and panic.” – Quora.com via DJ Purity, Scientist, psychopharmacologist, peer therapist, artist

I think the final sentence should have read, “Using too much of any cannabinoid…” I always say, “Everything in moderation…”, and “Too much of a good thing can be bad for you.”

“CBD may work similarly to antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications.” – GoodRX.com

“A 2010 study looked at the effects of CBD on 10 people with social anxiety disorder and participants were either given 400 milligrams of CBD or a placebo. The participants who received CBD had reduced anxiety levels.” – PsychCentral.com

“…while research on CBD and anxiety is promising, it’s also sparse.” – PsychCentral.com

The study mentioned in the first quote is the same one quoted from HealthLine.com. And you can only view the Abstract of the study unless you want to purchase it. It is intended for healthcare professionals.

“Animal studies, and self-reports or research in humans, suggest CBD may also help with:

Anxiety. Studies and clinical trials are exploring the common report that CBD can reduce anxiety.” – Health.Harvard.edu

I have to agree that evidence supporting CBD in helping people with anxiety is rather sparse. It seems that most experts are referring to a single clinical trial with people. But still, most experts agree that it is promising.

There is evidence that overuse of CBD may also cause anxiety.

Therefore

I believe that CBD may help with anxiety if used moderately. And the evidence that it may cause anxiety if overused is more sparse than in clinical trials.

I have to agree with the experts in saying more testing is needed.

 

7.  a) Can I use CBD if I have schizophrenia? b) Is CBD linked to schizophrenia? c) Can CBD induce schizophrenia?

My Take

I’m not going to touch this one on my own. This is a serious matter better left to the experts. I may make a few comments on my research quotes, but my only advice will be to consult a qualified expert. DO NOT SELF-MEDICATE if you have or think you have schizophrenia or any other serious mental disorder.

CBD Research Related To Schizophrenia – Their Take

“…People with schizophrenia are advised to avoid cannabis.

CBD, however, is a different chemical — and some evidence suggests that it might have beneficial effects for those with schizophrenia.” – PsychCentral.com

“A 2017 randomized control trial looked at whether CBD could be an effective add-on treatment for schizophrenia. The trial involved giving 1,000 milligrams (mg) of CBD per day to the study group and comparing them to a control group.

The study concluded that CBD could have beneficial effects in people with schizophrenia, including reduced levels of positive symptoms.” – PsychCentral.com

“…CBD may ease symptoms of schizophrenia,…” – MedicalNewsToday.com

“People who delay treatment in favor of CBD may find that schizophrenia symptoms become less manageable.” – MedicalNewsToday.com

The author of this article is a nurse with three different certifications: RN, MSN, and AGCPNP-BC. I had to look up two of them to know what they were.

I’m not sure if any of her three certifications qualify her to assess schizophrenia treatment, and I have no idea of her involvement with schizophrenia patients, but her advice seems reasonable to me.

I would agree with her that this is much too serious an illness to try to self-medicate. Seek the advice of a professional.

“…research does not support recommending medical cannabis (THC or CBD) for treating patients with schizophrenia.” – FrontiersIn.org

This article is also found on NIH PubMed Central website: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8343183

“CBD may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of psychosis following cannabis use, as well as schizophrenia, possibly with better tolerability than current antipsychotic treatments.” – NIH PubMed Central

“While there are strong links between excessive usage of THC, especially in adolescents, with triggering psychosis and schizophrenia, CBD has been found to have the opposite effect.” – Ilesol.com Ilesol Pharmaceuticals

The link within the previous quote actually tried to link to 2 different articles. That simply doesn’t work!

You can see the two URLs, separated by %20, by left-clicking the link, selecting “Copy link address” and pasting it into a text editor.

Here are the two articles they attempted to link to, both on NIH PubMed Central website… Opposite Effects of Δ-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabidiol on Human Brain Function and Psychopathology, & Action of cannabidiol on the anxiety and other effects produced by delta 9-THC in normal subjects

“…a study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry concluded that CBD has an atypical antipsychotic profile.” – Ilesol.com Ilesol Pharmaceuticals

I am finding more evidence that CBD can help ease the effects of schizophrenia. All stating that you should seek the advice of a professional.

OH YES! I’m going to slam WebMD again! They have an article that I am about to quote that was apparently published in December of 2021 and has an Editor’s note that it was updated in January of 2021… 11 months BEFORE it was published. DAMN, THEY’RE GOOD!

Love me some WebMD!

“Joseph Pierre, MD, a psychiatrist and professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, says CBD’s potential role in schizophrenia treatment starts with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)…” – WebMD.com

REALLY? Are you sure that’s what he says, WebMD?

‘“Since CBD opposes some of the effects of THC in the brain, it makes sense it could be useful in treating psychotic disorders,” Pierre says. “There’s also some evidence that CBD has properties similar to antipsychotic drugs.”’ – WebMD.com

Did WebMD draw their previous conclusion from this quote by Dr. Pierre? This is somewhat confusing… They said, he said. But did he really?

Therefore

My conclusion is that CBD may very well be good for treating those with schizophrenia. And I can not stress enough the fact that you should NOT self-medicate!

Seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional. Ask if using CBD to help treat your condition is the right thing to do. If you don’t get the answer you want to hear, you can always get a second opinion. But please follow their direction whatever the case may be.

8.  a) Does CBD have any psychological effects? b) Does CBD oil affect you mentally? c) Can CBD Oil cause mental confusion? d) Is CBD a psychotropic drug? e) Does CBD increase psychosis? f) Can CBD be used as an antipsychotic? g) How much CBD should I take for psychosis? h) Does CBD help delusions? i) Can full-spectrum CBD make you paranoid? j) Does CBD stop paranoia? k) Can CBD Oil cause mental health problems?

My Take

I have done quite a bit of research so far and have found little evidence that CBD has adverse psychological effects on people. In fact, most evidence I’ve found supports CBD having positive mental effects if any. Also, from what I understand, CBD is a non-psychotropic drug and counteracts many of the effects of THC.

From my knowledge prior to doing any research, I wouldn’t think it likely that CBD would negatively affect people if used in moderation barring the use of other medications. And I think it even less likely after all that I have discovered.

But then again, what would I know? Let me take a look at what the experts say about it.

CBD Research Related To Mental Health – Their Take

“…scientific research is building on the effects of CBD and will help support the case for further clinical trials on the use of CBD in different stages of psychosis…” – HealthEuropa.com

This is regarding a study done that shows how CBD helped people with psychosis.

“…marijuana/cannabis derivative cannabidiol (CBD) could help in treating specific symptoms of schizophrenia.” – NIH PubMed Central

This is regarding a study done with both TCH and CBD on people with psychosis or schizophrenia. It points out that while TCH can exacerbate schizophrenia symptoms, CBD has the opposite effect.

“…studies have shown some positive results of CBD in anxiety conditions…” – NIH PubMed Central

and “…CBD is thought to also have an effect on depression.” – NIH PubMed Central

and “…CBD is found to be a microglial stabilizer which is similar to the medication lithium which could be beneficial for depression and mood stabilization…“ – NIH PubMed Central

and concerning psychosis… “…CBD has shown to improve psychotic symptoms…” – NIH PubMed Central

and concerning Alzheimer’s… “CBD has some pharmacological characteristics that might point to be benefit in the treatment of AD.” – NIH PubMed Central

and concerning traumatic brain injuries… “…CBD has been found to reduce brain damage after cerebral trauma…” – NIH PubMed Central

and concerning epilepsy and seizures… “…CBD has shown to decrease epileptiform local field potentials, their amplitude and duration…” Meaning it lessens seizure severity and time span. – NIH PubMed Central

“The endogenous cannabinoid (eCB) system plays an important role in the pathophysiology of both psychotic disorders and substance use disorders (SUDs). The non-psychoactive cannabinoid compound, cannabidiol (CBD) is a highly promising tool in the treatment of both disorders.” – NIH PubMed Central

and “The effects of CBD were studied in patients in both early and later stages of psychotic disorders. Overall, acutely psychotic and early onset patients demonstrated reductions of positive and negative symptoms…” – NIH PubMed Central

“…CBD is non-intoxicating and has potential anxiolytic, antipsychotic and anticonvulsant properties, and no detrimental effects on memory.” – NIH PubMed Central

and “…CBD has a different mechanism of action to dopamine receptor antagonists and could therefore represent a completely novel class of antipsychotic treatment.” – NIH PubMed Central

and “The accumulating evidence regarding the antipsychotic potential of CBD has emerged from a number of different sources. This includes preclinical work, experimental studies in healthy human volunteers comparing the neurocognitive effects of THC and CBD as well as studies examining whether CBD can block or attenuate the symptomatic effects of THC.” – NIH PubMed Central

“CBD has shown promising results as a potential treatment for a wide range of mental and physical ailments, including epilepsy, anxiety, opioid addiction, insomnia, schizophrenia, and chronic pain.” – PsychologyToday.com

and “CBD can relieve symptoms of anxiety, research suggests, and it may therefore help treat conditions such as generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.” – PsychologyToday.com

“For decades, the World Health Organization’s expert committee on drug dependence has offered a long list of conditions that CBD may benefit. Research studies on both animals and humans have shown that CBD may help lower feelings of isolation, relieve autism symptoms, and reduce the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It seems CBD can calm the brain and support the hippocampus, which is a brain area important for healthy emotion and memory.” – PsychologyToday.com

and “A 2012 double-blind, randomized clinical trial looked at the benefits of CBD for psychosis. In this study, 40 volunteer patients were given CBD or an antipsychotic. Both treatments helped patient symptoms equally, while the group taking CBD enjoyed many fewer side effects and no problems with movement, weight gain, or hormonal dysregulation—all common side effects of antipsychotic medications.” – PsychologyToday.com

“…CBD doesn’t produce any psychoactive effects. Plus, research suggests that CBD-rich cannabis may have antipsychotic effects.” – HealthLine.com

“A single dose of cannabidiol, an non-intoxicating extract of the plant, reduced unusual patterns of neural behaviour linked to hallucinations, delusions, and other symptoms of psychosis, researchers found.” – TheGuardian.com

and “While high strength cannabis is suspected of raising the risk of mental health problems in some frequent cannabis users, cannabidiol or CBD appears to have opposite, antipsychotic properties.” – TheGuardian.com

Please note: The Guardian may ask that you register to continue reading articles on their site.

“…CBD prevented the acute induction of psychotic symptoms by Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol.” – Researchgate.net

All evidence I can find points to the beneficial effects of CBD for numerous psychological conditions. I found little to no evidence stating that CBD is psychologically detrimental.

Therefore

I conclude that CBD may become a viable treatment for many psychological conditions in the near future.

Even though all evidence points to CBD being beneficial for so many conditions, I strongly recommend seeking the counsel of a healthcare professional before using it as a treatment.

9.  a) Does CBD fry your brain? b) Does CBD reduce brain function? c) Can CBD cause neurological problems? d) Does CBD oil affect you mentally? e) Does CBD cause memory loss? f) Is CBD good for mental health? g) Do psychiatrists recommend CBD? h) Does CBD inhibit brain function? i) Does CBD oil affect cognitive function? j) Does CBD regenerate brain cells?

My Take

Let me get straight to the point for the first question. No, CBD does not fry your brain. That’s the job of its famous cousin, THC.

In fact, CBD may counteract some negative side effects of THC. It has been shown in studies that CBD has the opposite effect of THC and can lessen psychosis and paranoia induced by THC.

Before having done any research, I always thought that THC affects your mind and CBD affects your body.

This is true to a large degree as CBD doesn’t attach to the CB 1 receptors in your nervous system but rather attaches to CB 2 receptors in your immune system so it doesn’t give you the high feeling that THC does.

But it still affects your brain. I think it does so indirectly though.

One thing I have learned is that CBD is beneficial to brain health. According to one article I read, it can not only protect your brain cells but also help them regenerate.

Let’s find out what the experts can tell us.

CBD Research – Their Take

“…CBD modulated brain activity and had opposite effects when compared to THC…” – NIH PubMed Central

and “…CBD induces significant alterations in brain activity and connectivity patterns during resting state and performance of cognitive tasks in both healthy volunteers and patients with a psychiatric disorder. This included modulation of functional networks relevant for psychiatric disorders, possibly reflecting CBD’s therapeutic effects.” – NIH PubMed Central

This study seems to corroborate the idea that CBD counteracts the effects of THC and may be helpful to people with psychiatric disorders.

“Cannabidiol (CBD), a component of the cannabis plant, has anti-inflammatory and antipsychotic-like properties; however, its ability to improve cognitive impairment has not been thoroughly explored. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate preclinical and clinical literature on the effects of CBD in cognitive domains relevant to schizophrenia.” – NIH PubMed Central

and “CBD improves cognition in multiple preclinical models of cognitive impairment, including models of neuropsychiatric (schizophrenia), neurodegenerative (Alzheimer’s disease), neuro-inflammatory (meningitis, sepsis and cerebral malaria) and neurological disorders (hepatic encephalopathy and brain ischemia).” – NIH PubMed Central

and “…given the ability of CBD to restore cognition in multiple studies of impairment, further investigation into its efficacy in schizophrenia is warranted.” – NIH PubMed Central

Okay! I’ve just found evidence that CBD can help restore cognitive ability in multiple psychological conditions! And this study was published in 2016! With this type of evidence, there should be massive studies being conducted.

“Chronic cannabis use is associated with neuroanatomical alterations in the hippocampus. While adverse impacts of cannabis use are generally attributed to ?9-tetrahydrocannabinol, emerging naturalistic evidence suggests cannabidiol (CBD) is neuroprotective and may ameliorate brain harms associated with cannabis use, including protection from hippocampal volume loss.” – NIH PubMed Central

and “Our findings suggest a restorative effect of CBD on the subicular and CA1 subfields in current cannabis users, especially those with greater lifetime exposure to cannabis.” – NIH PubMed Central

This supports my standing that the different compounds in cannabis work better together. If you want to enjoy the high of THC but don’t want to suffer the negative side effects, be sure to either purchase product that has all the compounds including a healthy dose of CBD or use both THC and CBD products in conjunction with one another.

And as always… Everything in Moderation!

“Although many believe that marijuana damages the brain, studies indicate that some components of cannabis, such as CBD, can actually protect brain cells from harm. In fact, in 1999, the United States Department of Health and Human Services actually obtained a patent for the neuroprotective effects of cannibinoids. The patent states that cannabis and its chemical properties can protect brain cells in individuals with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other types of dementia.” – LifeBoostMD.com

So funny, I just noticed the misspelling of cannabinoids in this quote. Well, I’m not gonna change the spelling in quotes.

“In recent years, CBD has been found to alleviate certain symptoms of memory loss conditions, including different types of dementia. People are turning to CBD oil to treat Alzheimer’s disease as well as to improve focus and enhance the daily performance of their brains.” – cfah.org

“A single dose of cannabidiol (CBD) helped increase blood flow to the hippocampus, an important area of the brain associated with memory and emotion, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.” – UCL News

and “There is evidence that CBD may help reduce symptoms of psychosis and anxiety. There is some evidence to suggest that CBD may improve memory function.” – UCL News

and “CBD significantly increased blood flow in the hippocampus…” – UCL News

and “In the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain used for planning and decision making, CBD caused a significant increase in blood flow in the orbitofrontal cortex.

Dr. Bloomfield added: ‘To our knowledge, this is the first study to find that CBD increases blood flow to key regions involved in memory processing, particularly the hippocampus.’” – UCL News

We all know that blood flow to the brain is critical for its proper functioning. It stands to reason that if CBD increases blood flow, not just to the brain but to the entire body, then our brains will function more effectively.

“…studies suggest that CBD holds promise in the treatment of a number of conditions including depression, anxiety, epilepsy, and sleep issues…” – VeryWellMind.com

How many of these conditions could possibly be caused due to the brain not getting the blood flow it needs? I can’t answer that because I’m no doctor.

“Researchers found that there’s “inadequate evidence” available to suggest that cannabinoids can improve the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions.” – HealthLine.com

and “Researchers did find that pharmaceutical THC — with or without CBD — reduced symptoms of anxiety in people…” – HealthLine.com

and “…this evidence was of “low quality” and based on only seven studies…” – HealthLine.com

and “Most of the studies for anxiety and depression were for conditions like chronic, noncancer pain and multiple sclerosis, with anxiety or depression as a secondary symptom.” – HealthLine.com

and “As for PTSD, ADHD, psychosis, and Tourette syndrome, the researchers found no evidence that any type of cannabinoid improved the symptoms.” – HealthLine.com

This article focuses mainly on THC but includes “all” cannabinoids in its conclusions. I felt it important to show differing points of view concerning CBD and its cousin cannabinoids.

“…cannabidiol (CBD) may have antipsychotic and anxiolytic properties, and thus may be a promising new agent in the treatment of psychotic and anxiety disorders.” – FrontiersIn.org

and “…CBD enhanced fronto-striatal resting state connectivity…” – FrontiersIn.org

and “…CBD modulated brain activity and had opposite effects when compared to THC…” – FrontiersIn.org

and “CBD modulated resting limbic activity in subjects with anxiety and metabolite levels in patients with autism spectrum disorders.” – FrontiersIn.org

and “Neuroimaging studies have shown that acute CBD induces significant alterations in brain activity and connectivity patterns during resting state and performance of cognitive tasks…” – FrontiersIn.org

In other words, CBD helped with brain function in individuals with these conditions. I’m guessing it could partially have to do with increased blood flow to the brain and a combination of other positive effects CBD has on brain function, but I’m no expert.

If you can get around the science geek speak enough to read through this article, it sheds some light on the positive antipsychotic effects of CBD.

Throughout my research, I have found more evidence of the beneficial effects CBD has on the brain and minimal evidence of detrimental effects.

Therefore

I’ve scoured the internet and have found very little evidence of CBD having any negative effects on the brain. In fact, there is overwhelming evidence of its being beneficial and healthy for brain function. It appears that CBD may increase blood flow to the brain as well as to the rest of the body. It also seems to counteract many of the negative effects of THC.

My conclusion is that while THC can have negative effects on your mind, CBD may be able to counteract the worst of these if not all. It may also be used to treat many different psychological disorders. All-in-all, I would say that CBD is good not only for your brain but for your overall well-being.