What is Anxiety?

The defining feature of anxiety is an intense fear of being judged, negatively evaluated or rejected in social and professional situations [3]. For people suffering with anxiety, a fear of speaking in public is said to be one of the cardinal manifestations of the condition [4].

Anxiety is associated with the impairment of social adjustments to daily life, increased disability, dysfunction and a loss of productivity [5][6]. Furthermore, anxiety follows a long-term and unforgiving course, and is rarely resolved without treatment [7][8].

Cannabis Both Induces and Reduces Anxiety

People suffering with anxiety disorders are more likely to use cannabis than those without such disorders, in an attempt to ‘self-medicate’ [9]. Interestingly, the relationship between cannabis and anxiety is a double-edged sword. Many cannabis users state a reduction in anxiety as one of the primary motivations for use. On the other hand, intense anxiety and panic are some of the most commonly reported undesirable effects of improper cannabis use [10].

This is driven by people not being able to access medical cannabis, which in turn results in improper usage. When people use cannabis responsibly under the guidance of a physician, they typically do not experience many of the negative effects commonly associated with cannabis use states Doctor Levy.

Such conflicting statements arise because THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the most famous component of cannabis, decreases anxiety in low doses and causes anxiety in high doses [11]. Conversely, CBD (cannabidiol), another major component of cannabis, has displayed substantially different psychological effects to those of THC [12]. When administered orally, CBD has been shown to reduce, or ‘block’ the anxiety causing effects of THC [13].

Findings such as these have led the academic community, physicians and people suffering with anxiety to wonder - could CBD Oil help with anxiety?

CBD Oil Decreases The Anxiety Brought on by Public Speaking

In order to test this, researchers at the University of Sao Paulo set out to compare the effects of a simulated public speaking test on healthy controls vs people with anxiety who received a single oral dose of CBD Oil.

Simulated public speaking tests are considered a valid way to test for and predict social anxiety, as a fear of speaking in public is a fundamental component of the disorder. The participants selected for the study had received no prior treatment for their anxiety, neither pharmacotherapy nor psychotherapy.

A total of 24 participants with anxiety were selected alongside 12 healthy controls. The participants with anxiety were split into 2 groups of 12 – one group to receive CBD oil prior to the simulated public speaking test and one group to receive a placebo.

After allowing the participants 15 minutes to get used to the lab environment, baseline measurements were taken followed by a single oral dose of either CBD oil or a placebo. Following the dose, participants were given the instructions regarding the public speaking test.

Each participant had 2 minutes to prepare a 4 minute speech about ‘the public transportation system of your city’. Furthermore, participants were told that their speech would be recorded and analysed by a psychologist. Measurements were taken before participants started speaking, during the middle of the test and at several points after the test had concluded.

The results of the test showed that participants with anxiety who were pre-treated with CBD oil displayed significantly reduced anxiety, cognitive impairment and discomfort in their speech performance. The measurements taken from participants diagnosed with anxiety, but pre-treated with CBD oil, were similar to those taken from the healthy ‘non-anxiety’ control group [14].

CBD Oil Decreases Blood Flow to The Anxiety Processing Areas of The Brain

In a separate scientific experiment, the same research group from the University of Sao Paulo decided to test the effect of CBD oil on subjective measures of anxiety in men. However, this time the researchers also took brain scans using functional neural imaging techniques.

Alongside participants reporting improved anxiety with CBD oil supplementation, brain scans showed that blood flow was reduced to the anxiety processing areas of the brain [15].

CBD Oil Reduces Anxiety in Teenagers

Building upon the body of scientific literature, a recent study from the University of Kyoto showed that 4 week supplementation with CBD Oil significantly decreased anxiety in teenagers with generalised social anxiety disorder.

37 teenagers aged between 18 and 19 years old with either generalized social anxiety disorder or avoidant personality disorder were selected for the study. All of the participants were naïve to cannabis and had not received any prior pharmacological or psychological treatment. Participants were split into 2 groups and received either CBD Oil or a placebo (olive oil) daily for 4 weeks.

Anxiety symptoms were measured at the beginning and end of treatment using the Fear of Negative Evaluation Questionnaire and the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale. Participants who received CBD oil showed a significant reduction in anxiety scores in both questionnaires [16].

Below is some commentary on the study from Dr Mike Hart of Ready-To Go-Clinic.