Cannabis has long been a controversial subject within the medical community, being lauded as both a cause and a treatment for psychosis.
Recent research has confirmed the medicinally therapeutic potential of Cannabidiol, citing it as a treatment for a wide array of ailments, including multiple sclerosis.
Taking the benefits of Cannabidiol a step further, medical researchers at Kings College London have determined that Cannabis is a viable and effective treatment for individuals struggling with psychosis, helping with symptoms like hallucinations and hearing voices.
Kings College Researchers conducted a study involving 88 patients struggling with mental health issues.
These 88 volunteer patients were given either Cannabidiol (CBD) or a placebo for six weeks, alongside their usual medications.
After the study, psychiatrists compared the patient’s overall mental state to assess their symptoms.
The psychotic symptoms of patients who had been taking CBD were dramatically lower than those who received the placebo. The American Journal of Psychiatry published these results, stating that patients taking CBD were more likely to be marked as ‘improved’ by their psychiatrists.
The results of the study disprove previous claims that smoking Cannabis worsens mental health and can create suicidal tendencies. Instead, the study showcases Cannabis as a hopeful drug without serious side effects.
The head of the study, Professor Philip McGuire, found the lack of side effects caused by CBD to be one of the most important findings.
According to him, some ‘patients may be reluctant to take anti-psychotic medication because of concerns about side effects’. Many anti-psychosis drugs are linked to heart attacks, which creates valid concern amongst patients and medical professionals.
CBD offers an alternative that could create an entirely new class of treatment.
Worries about the negative effects of super-strong strains of marijuana, often grown by criminals, sold on the illegal market, and containing excessively high amounts of tetrehydrocannabinol (THC) are abundant within the medical community.
CBD does not cause a high, which allows for it to to be a powerful and positive treatment for various conditions without the potential of psychotic triggering, researchers believe.
Approximately one percent of people are said to suffer from psychosis, which can cause debilitating visual and auditory hallucinations.
Ian Hamilton, a staff member at York University, claims that KCL’s findings are ‘timely’.
In an interview with MailOnline, he stated that ‘traditional medicines are not tolerated well by patients as they have a range of side effects which can put people off taking them.’
Hamilton had high praises for the potential of CBD as treatment.
He conducted his own independent research in April, confirming the low risk of psychosis development through the use of cannabis.
That being said, Skunk, the high-inducing, more potent form of the drug, is considerably more dangerous for mental health.
Two years ago, KCL researchers found that Skunk users suffer psychotic episodes three times as frequently as those who have not smoked it. Researchers also found that Skunk is responsible for 25 percent of new psychotic mental illness patients.
Today, people like Mr. Hamilton and Professor Philip McGuire are making strides towards debunking the stigma around safer forms of THC.
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