CBD for Depression:

CBD for Depression: What We Know So Far

The Hemp Facts
August 17, 2023

It is estimated that depression impacts 300 million people each year. Depression can lead to a break in the ability to work and live a normal life. In its mild forms, depression can lead to an interruption in the ability to work and live a normal life. In its worst form, it can lead to severe depression.

With new research on CBD oil for anxiety and depression, more people are taking it to help with their mental disorders. CBD is a new compound with an enormous amount of potential for those with depression and anxiety. With more than 264 million people diagnosed with anxiety or depression each year, this treatment is needed. One interesting study from the Anxiety and Depression Association of America found that nearly 50% of people diagnosed have tried this treatment.

Both depression and anxiety seem to go hand in hand. In this article, we will examine the underlying causes of depression and anxiety, and share how CBD may be a great way to help treat both depression and anxiety.

What is depression?

Depression is a type of mood disorder.

Depression is a serious issue. It can affect your daily life, work, relationships, and general life function. It can result in the loss of time, productivity, and general life dysfunction. Depression can happen to everyone and not just people with other chronic conditions. It is important to be aware that depression isn’t just an individual health issue; it also has an effect on the health of those around you.

Depression is not just a mood. It is a serious, chronic mental illness that can be life-threatening and difficult to recover from. It is more than feeling bummed out for a little while. Depression may last for days, weeks, months, or even years if left untreated. Depressed people usually experience 9 symptoms which include low self-esteem, loss of interest in favorite activities, or slowing down of the mind and body.

They include the following:

  • Depressed mood throughout the day as observed by others
  • Loss of interest in pleasurable or interesting activities throughout most of the day and on most days
  • Alterations in appetite or unexpected weight loss or weight gain when not intentionally dieting
  • Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much
  • Feeling “slowed down” or the observation by others of slower than normal movements
  • Lack of energy and fatigue
  • Feelings of excessive guilt or meaninglessness in life
  • Lack of focus or the ability to concentrate
  • Consistent thoughts of death or suicide ideation

What causes depression?

Depression comes in many different forms and can be the result of a single or multiple different factors.

Some of the relevant causes of depression include:

There is not one root cause of depression and for many people multiple issues can combine to form a depression.

Why can cbd oil help with depression?

CBD oil is a potent option for people suffering from depression and various other ailments. Recent years have seen CBD oil grow in popularity and studies show that it may provide relief from symptoms of depression. Research done on CBD capsules showed significant promise in the treatment of depression and may be a good option in the future.

CBD, or cannabidiol, may be able to help with depression. A study in the journal Surgical Neurology International found that CBD has the potential to treat a number of conditions. Here are some reasons why. CBD has been shown to help with chronic pain, nausea and vomiting, anxiety, and poor appetite in chemotherapy patients. This is great news for those who suffer from these conditions—especially depression. CBD also helps the body produce serotonin, the hormone linked to mood regulation.

CBD boosts the endocannabinoid system

Depression is a complicated illness and many treatments have been studied. In one study, damage to the endocannabinoid system causes many problems in the body of those with depression. Neurotransmission, neuroendocrine, and inflammatory processes are often disrupted by endocannabinoid system damage. Curiously, in a study published in Molecular Medicine Reports, the endocannabinoid system is found to mitigate the effects of depression.

CBD is known to stimulate the body’s natural endocannabinoid system. It works by activating enzymes that are responsible for taking a certain amount of endocannabinoids from the body. With more endocannabinoids available, the ECS can function optimally.

Depression is a disorder that affects many people. Research shows CBD has the potential to cure it, as CBD has effects on the processes that are damaged in patients who suffer from depression. A new review looked at the signal capabilities of the endocannabinoid system in people with depression and those without.

Researchers have implicated the endocannabinoid system in depression. CB1 receptors had been found to be a key factor in cases of depression. One study examined a series of tests in which the CB1 receptor was found to be involved. In the Behavior Pharmacology study, it explores the possible link between CB1 and studies that indicated that this is what causes depression..

They found that patients who had a receptor in their brain blocked showed symptoms similar to those of depression, including a reduced appetite, increased anxiety, and increased sensitivity to stress. The similarities between these side effects and those of depression led the authors of the paper to conclude that boosting the endocannabinoid system could be helpful.

CBD, has been shown to increase the functioning of the endocannabinoid system in those who suffer from depression. A study demonstrated that slight genetic alterations in the CB1 receptor could cause vulnerability to mood disorders like depression and anxiety. If you exhibit these small changes, CBD could be a perfect option for you.

There is clear evidence to suggest that dysfunction in one of the primary receptors of the endocannabinoid system lead to depression.

OTHER FACTORS IN DEPRESSION ASIDE FROM THE CB1 RECEPTOR

The CB1 receptors are one part of the equation for depression, but other stressors may also play a role. Stress is the main cause of depression that can be both acute or chronic. A recent study has shown that CBD may reduce typical responses to stress in rats.

This study found that CBD helped mitigate the stress in rats. Scientists subjected the rats to a series of stressful events, including an elevated maze test and periods of restraint. All of the rats were then given CBD, which had had a calming effect, as opposed to a placebo. The results of the study showed that CBD was able to reduce the stressful responses of rats.

CBD may help to reduce stress. One study conducted by “Beyond the CB1 receptor: is cannabidiol the answer for disorders of motivation?” found that CBD could lower anxiety and depression rates. After examining many studies, they concluded that CBD may have potential for reducing stress.

CBD OIL HELPING THE BRAIN GROW

Another way that CBD seems to help those with depression is that it promotes the growth of new neurons within the hippocampus. The hippocampal neurogenesis is caused by the promotion of the growth of new neurons in the hippocampus.

Increasing the amount of hippocampal neurogenesis reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression in a study. The researchers studied two groups of mice. One group was exposed to constant and repeated stressors and the other group was not. They found that the mice with increased hippocampal neurogenesis had less symptoms of anxiety and depression than the other group.

The endocannabinoid system has a major role in triggering neurogenesis. The review, published in the British Journal of Pharmacology, focused on the stages of neural production and sought to better understand how the body’s own endocannabinoids and plant cannabinoids trigger the process.

The study determined that CBD and endocannabinoids can trigger the growth of new brain cells, which can help with depression and a decline in the brain’s functioning abilities. The study concluded that there is substantial potential for CBD and the endocannabinoid system to treat and help those who suffer from depression and impaired brain function.

REDUCING INFLAMMATION

While it is still unclear whether inflammation is a direct cause of depression, there are studies that suggest that inflammation might be a good indicator as to how well other treatments will work. One study looked at treatment resistant depression and found that 45% of sufferers had high levels of inflammation.

Anti-inflammatory drugs have been shown to be a reliable predictor of whether or not antidepressants will be effective. One study, entitled “Cannabinoids as novel anti-inflammatory drugs,” explored the ways in which these drugs could serve as a treatment for the inflammatory condition. The researchers found that levels of inflammation could be used to predict whether or not an antidepressant would help the patient.

Due to anti-inflammatory properties, it was found that CBD is able to (emotional) reduce the inflammation in the body. More research is necessary to see how CBD’s targeting of inflammatory impacts mood. Antidepressants’ effectiveness hinges on their ability to combat inflammation. Therefore, there may be reason to believe that CBD may be able to treat depression.

CBD oil for anxiety and depression: what’s on the line

Depression is one of the most debilitating mental illnesses. That’s why finding new ways to treat it is so important — it’s literally a matter of life and death. Unfortunately, the problem of depression has not been fully solved. As antidepressants have not totally solved the problem of depression, finding new and novel ways to treat this condition is a matter of life and death. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, over 50 percent of all people who die by suicide suffer from major depression.

75% of alcoholics who are depressed and 10% of Americans die from suicide every year. These tragic numbers show the severity of the issue and the need for a solution. In a study about medical marijuana and suicide rates, researchers found that legalization of medical marijuana decreases the suicide rate.

People who live in states where cannabis is legal are substantially less likely to commit suicide. A study of males in 20-29 age bracket found that those in states with legalized cannabis had a 11% decreased risk of committing suicide. The risk for 30-39 year olds dropped by 9% and the suicide rate overall dropped by 5%. Moreover, when people consume cannabis, alcohol usage rates drop, depression rates drop, and the risk of being violent drops.

This is only one study and more research is needed on the topic.

However, it does show exciting promise for the mental health benefits that both CBD and the cannabis plant hold for those suffering from depression.

Concluding Thoughts

With statistics like these, it’s no wonder that many companies and scientists are seeking out new ways to cure this mysterious mental condition. One of the newest options for those looking for an alternative to pharmaceutical intervention is CBD oil. The majority of people who have used it say that it has helped reduce their symptoms and worsened feelings of depression.

CBD has been shown to lead to a decrease in symptoms of depression. Neurogenesis, the process of creating new cells, may be the cause.

CBD also reduces inflammation

Something’s up. Your inflammation might be causing you to feel down. And it’s not just because of your low level of C-reactive protein. The latest data indicates that inflammation can reduce the efficacy of some depression treatments, like antidepressant drugs. CBD isn’t a cure-all for the blues, but research on this exciting compound is in its early stages with many unanswered questions.

Hopefully this natural plant-based compound may help scientists and doctors decipher this worldwide mental health scourge.

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