OCD is a term that is generally joked around for and by people who are obsessed with tidiness and keeping everything organized in an extraordinary manner. However, many of us don’t know that OCD has been recognized as a serious anxiety disorder with little effective treatment in the medical field.
In a few cases, diagnosis of OCD can be life-altering and affect the personal and professional life of an individual. This is where CBD enters. Facts have it that a regular intake of CBD by people suffering from OCD have actually shown great improvements in their behaviour. Thus, this might be a whole new revolution in the medical and psychological field. Even so, the research and study related in the area is still in fancy. Nonetheless, if one can rely on anecdotes, then the percentage of people diagnosed with OCD have shown effective improvement with CBD tincture or oil treatment.
What is OCD?
OCD or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a repeated pattern of thoughts, fears, and actions which are full of anxiety, stress, and excessive repetitive behaviour. A person who is suffering from OCD will have repeated thoughts of doing something in a particular manner and won’t stop until he or she is satisfied with his repeated actions on doing something.
For instance, someone’s thoughts being centred on cleanliness and removal of germs from a room, house or particular area. So, the more they clean the area, the better they will feel and alleviate their anxiety.
People diagnosed with this problem are not able to give away their intrusive thoughts and continue with their behaviour throughout their lives until they are given a treatment and successfully finish it. In intense cases, this behaviour affects the patient’s ability to live a healthy and productive life and sometimes, however unfortunate it is, leads to self-harm or suicide.
Is there any successful treatment of OCD?
As per the research, 2-3% of the world’s population is affected by OCD and studies in the area are only expanding with time. If this continues, chances are that a full-fledged treatment for this problem will be invented. However, in present times, the complexity of this problem is such that it is highly difficult to treat the patient completely from the effects of this problem.
The most common treatment of OCD is psychotherapy, particularly, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Exposure and Response Therapy. The basic purpose of these treatments is to either remove the fears, thoughts, and actions that are the result of OCD or reduce them to the point that the person can live with them and lead a healthy and satisfying life.
Also, antidepressants, such as Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft are also recommended by some psychotherapists for the treatment of OCD.
There is no successfully proven treatment in the medical field for the complete alleviation or removal of this order.
So, how does CBD help in the treatment of OCD?
As per a survey on Greenthevoteok, CBD or cannabidiol is the product of hemp and cannabis plant but unlike its siblings, marijuana and hashish, CBD doesn’t create any ‘high’ in the brain. In other words, you will not get stoned after consuming a few drops of CBD oil.
Why? Well, the reason behind the same is that CBD contains less than 0.3% THC, the chemical which is primarily responsible for producing ‘high.’ Thus, one doesn’t experience any intoxication after consuming CBD. It is thus, a non-psychoactive substance.
Now the question is why and how CBD can help with the treatment of OCD? The answer should begin with defining the connection between CBD treatment of anxiety and how OCD is related to anxiety as well.
As per latest research, CBD has a strong potential to successfully treat many anxiety disorders in the human body. It is said so because CBD contains cannabinoids, which are natural compounds that know how to interact with the endocannabinoid system or ECS of the body and help the body achieve the state of balance or homeostasis.
Studies have shown that when these compounds interact with the receptors of the ECS, they regulate the memory, pain, and mood of the person and help in the alleviation of negative thoughts, fears, and stress. This automatically improves the anxiety which will directly affect the OCD problem of people.
The decrease in intrusive thoughts will result in reduction of repetitive behaviour of individuals as well, thus, research reckon that CBD, when taken in right dosage will result in improvement or complete alleviation of OCD.
What is the right dosage of CBD oil for treatment of OCD?
Well, currently there is no standardized amount of CBD that should be taken for treatment of OCD in any other disease or disorder. However, good CBD oil brands recommend the average intake of CBD on their packages. You can also consult a CBD practitioner to learn about the dosage for your body type.
In any case, it is advisable to start your CBD treatment with a minimum dosage and slowly, increase the dose with time. The minute you feel that you have found the perfect dosage for you, start decreasing the dose to know if the effects of CBD continues to treat your body at a minimum dosage as well. If it doesn’t, then increase it again and continue experimenting the same on yourself.
As per the anecdotes, people generally take a daily dose of 10 to 20 mg for the treatment of their anxiety. You can start from the same as well. You can also consult your doctor about the same and start the medication under his or her guidance.
Is there any side-effect of CBD treatment?
Since CBD is a naturally-occurring product, there is very little to no chance of any side effects resulting from its treatment. CBD is usually used as a supplement by people and not a full-fledged treatment. There is very little possibility of the occurrence of an unfortunate side effect as the result of CBD.
Even though there have been no cases of people suffering from any side effects during their CBD treatment, unusual higher doses of CBD might result in dizziness, fatigue, change in sleep patterns, lack of concentration, uneasiness, etc. The side effects will subside in a day or two, but if they don’t, see a doctor.
Closing thoughts
Now that you have decided to start this treatment for your OCD, be assured that it is safe and, in many cases, quite an effective treatment of OCD. However, it is recommended to do your own research on this treatment, consult your medical practitioner before you start consuming CBD oil. It is advised so that you can have better knowledge and understanding of the treatment that would suit your body type the best. Nonetheless, a good quality of CBD oil will only have positive effects on your body, no matter what.
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Interesting related article: “What is a Cannabidiol?“