People Are Using Marijuana to Treat Anxiety and Depression, But the Science Is Questionable

by Andrea Peterson | Update October 26, 2021 09:00AM EDT

Aware of the side effects of traditional medicine, some people are using cannabis as a treatment. Doctors aren’t sure this is a good idea.

Psychologists and researchers say more people are turning to cannabis to reduce mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, as well as insomnia. Yet the science on cannabis as a mental-health treatment is in its infancy—and some evidence suggests that marijuana may make these problems worse.

Physicians say they are seeing more patients using pot in place of antidepressants like Zoloft and Paxil. Common medications prescribed for depression and anxiety disorders can come with significant side effects, including weight gain and sexual dysfunction. They also don’t work for everyone.

“Many people who tried psychiatric drugs had a hard time with their side effects and didn’t want to go back on them,” says Robert Yilding, a clinical psychologist in Newport Beach, Calif. Doctor. Yelding says the number of his patients using pot, in addition to therapy, has grown over the past two years.

Marijuana consumption for any use has increased in the US over the past decade. In 2020, 11.8% of people 12 and older said they had used a drug in the past month, according to new survey data released Monday from the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. In 2010 it was just under 7%. Among young adults aged 18 to 25, 23.1% said they used marijuana in the past month in 2020, up from 18.5% in 2010. The data does not differentiate between medical and recreational use.

As of June, 18 states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana use. In those states, people who are old enough to legally buy pot can go to a dispensary and buy it, or soon will be able to. Many other states allow the use of medical marijuana. In these states, people typically first have to see a doctor who will certify that they have a qualifying health condition. They will then receive a medical marijuana card and will be allowed to purchase the product at medical dispensaries.

Research has found that anxiety, depression, and sleep problems are among the most common reasons why people use medical cannabis.

Over the years, Sean Gaten tried several antidepressants to treat his anxiety, he said. But he gained weight and sometimes had trouble sleeping. It seemed that a drug would make her anxiety worse. So he quit the medicine. In August 2020, as his anxiety grew, Mr. Gaten, 39, decided to try marijuana to treat it. He saw a doctor and was approved for the Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Card, he said. It now primarily vaporizes a combination of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is largely responsible for marijuana’s high, and cannabidiol (CBD), a substance that produces the high type associated with THC. does not and may have a number of therapeutic effects. .

“It helps calm me down. It provides a sense of relief and helps me focus more,” says Mr. Gaten, a veteran from Enola, Pa.

Many scientists think that cannabis has broad potential for treating a variety of health problems, including psychiatric conditions. The cannabis plant contains dozens of substances called cannabinoids: THC and CBD are the most well-known. The Food and Drug Administration has approved a cannabinoid-derived drug to treat certain seizure disorders and cannabis-related drugs to treat weight loss in people with AIDS and nausea due to cancer treatment.

However, the research supporting the use of cannabis for sleep and mental health is nascent. Some small studies have found that CBD reduces symptoms in people with social anxiety. And several studies using cannabinoids for chronic pain have found that those patients also saw a reduction in their anxiety. Researchers at McLean Hospital in Massachusetts have just completed the first phase of a clinical trial that is under peer review of CBD for anxiety: Those receiving CBD saw about 70% to 80% improvement on measures of anxiety, says Stacy Gruber. , director of McLean’s Marijuana Investigation for Neuroscientific Discovery (MIND) program and senior author of the study.

A new study by researchers in Australia involving 23 participants with chronic insomnia found that taking an oil with THC and CBD at night for two weeks improved measures of insomnia. And an observational study recently published in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry found that people who began using medicinal cannabis reported a reduction in symptoms of anxiety and depression. Those who did not start using cannabis saw no change in their symptoms.

Some studies have found that cannabis use is associated with more severe symptoms in people with anxiety and depression. In 2019, the American Psychiatric Association issued a statement declaring that “there is no current scientific evidence that cannabis is in any way beneficial for the treatment of any psychiatric disorder” and that “with the onset of psychiatric disorders, there is no evidence of cannabis use.” Strong relationship”. “

Psychiatrists also noted an increased risk of developing cannabis use disorder, an addiction that can afflict more than 20% of regular cannabis users, says Smita Das, clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Stanford University School of Medicine. and chair of the Council on Addiction Psychiatry. American Psychiatric Association.

“Many clients are under the impression that there is an evidence base for what they are doing,” Dr. Yielding says, about his patients who use cannabis for their anxiety. “It’s not like that.”

The variety of cannabis products can be difficult for people to navigate, or to know which type might work best for them. Cannabis products come in a variety of forms, including flowers and edibles, can be consumed by smoking, eating or vaping, and come in a variety of strengths and combinations. Each variation can produce a different effect.

In addition, what’s on the label doesn’t always reflect what’s actually in the product, says Jiva De Cooper, director of the UCLA Cannabis Research Initiative, especially with cannabis purchased at unregulated dispensaries. “You don’t necessarily know what you’re taking,” she says.

Those who want to try cannabis should “start low and go slow,” Dr. Gruber says. For someone who hasn’t used THC-products before, “people may be more comfortable trying CBD,” Dr. Cooper says. “It doesn’t get you high. It won’t spoil your memory.” Then, if you want to try THC, start with a product that contains as little as 1 mg of THC, she says.