Is CBD The New Leading Way To Treat Social Anxiety?

Social Anxiety, or SAD, is one of the most common types of anxiety disorders in the United States. SAD is the fear of being seen negatively, judged, or humiliated by others. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, around 15 million adults experience social anxiety. Although it is not known what causes this, it usually comes about during puberty. Many deal with their social anxiety for over ten years before seeking treatment. This is due to many sufferers and their peers blaming it on the person just being overly shy.

However, social anxiety is an actual disorder that negatively affects quality of life in an extreme way. People with social anxiety tend not to do well in academic or occupational settings with large amounts of people. They typically suffer from a low self-worth. Some even know their fear is invalid but feel powerless over their disorder.

Cannabidiol, or CBD, is a major non-psychotomimetic compound of the Cannabis Sativa plant. It provides many benefits similar to that of Cannabis, but contains no THC. Therefore, CBD is completely legal in all 50 states. CBD has been shown to carry neuroprotective and neurogenic effects. It also displays anxiolytic effects in humans and animals. CBD is currently being used to treat many mental and autoimmune disorders. It is currently being tested for its anti-cancer properties. However, the most thought provoking and research-based facts have been shown in the treatment of SAD.

Research

One of the most significant studies was carried out by multiple researchers and professors including, Flavio Kapczinski, MD, PhD. He is the Professor of Psychiatry at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. He was the leader of the study. In this study, Kapczinski took 24 patients who suffer from SAD. All 24 patients believed public speaking was an enormous source of their social anxiety. He randomly broke them into two groups of 12. The first group received a placebo instead of CBD. The second group of 12 received 600 mgs of CBD liquid oil drops.

Every participant was submitted to a simulation public speaking test and in the form of a double-blind procedure. Visual Analogue Mood Scale, or VAMS, and Negative Self-Statement scale, or SSPS-N, and physiological measures, such as heart rate and blood pressure, were measured six times while the patient performed the test.

The results were profound. Those who were actually treated with CBD had reduced anxiety, a better cognitive and speech performance, and a decreased alert in their anticipatory speech. The placebo group had high levels of anxiety, high cognitive impairment, low speech performance, and high levels of alert in regards to their anticipatory speech. The results of these tests were analyzed more than once, and no errors in the analytics were found. Again, none of the 24 patients in the study knew whether or not they received the actual treatment, so these results were extremely impressive.