Rates of anxiety and depression have skyrocketed globally, especially amongst young people. Accord­ing to the Amer­i­can Psy­cho­log­i­cal Asso­ci­a­tion, only 45% of Gen Z reports that their men­tal health is very good or excel­lent. All oth­er gen­er­a­tions scored bet­ter, includ­ing Mil­len­ni­als (56%), Gen X (51%), and Boomers (70%).

Experiencing too much anxiety can impact one’s ability to cope with day-to-day life. “Anxiety can lead to both mental and physical problems…..being under constant stress and anxiety can lead to a dampened immune system, which can increase the likelihood of suffering from an infection,” says Dr. Lewis Jassey, medical director at Leafwell. 

A recent study published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry found that CBD might be an effective anxiety treatment for young people. CBD has zero intoxicating effects, making it a safe choice. 

The study included 31 people between the ages of 12 to 25. All participants met the criteria for anxiety disorder and had experienced no improvement in anxiety from previous interventions (prescription medication, psychotherapy).

Participants in the study showed over a 40% reduction in anxiety severity based on the Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale (OASIS). Participants also experienced an improvement in social functioning, occupational functioning, and a decrease in depression symptoms.

Professor Paul Amminger, author of the study explained: “There’s a lot of hope that a novel compound which is benign, like cannabidiol, could ease mental health problems. I think that the most exciting finding of the study was that the anxiety severity, which was on average severe to very severe, dropped by 50% at the end of the trial.”.

But is it just a placebo effect? The data suggests otherwise. Professor Amminger states, “Given that the patients included in this trial were some of the most severe treatment-resistant with significant functional impairment who had multiple failed treatment attempts prior to their participation in our trial, the observed reduction in anxiety severity suggests that cannabidiol has clinically meaningful anxiolytic effects.”.

Researchers are very optimistic about the findings of this study and believe pursuing CBD as a treatment option holds clinically significant promise. “Cannabidiol (CBD) treatment holds plenty of promise. For 50% of people, antidepressant medications do not work, on top of taking several weeks of regular intake to find out if they actually work or not. Young people, in particular, may benefit, as CBD is far more tolerable and less impactful on the body than antidepressants, especially the harsher ones prescribed for treatment-resistant anxiety.” says Dr. Lewis Jassey. 

If you have questions about using CBD to help manage your stress and anxiety, contact us via our online chat, call us at 303.674.5759, or email us at support@purespectrumcbd.com.  We are happy to answer any questions you may have or help you choose the products best suited to your needs.