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A recently published study has examined whether the use of prescribed cannabinoids improves quality of life in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD).
OCD, or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), is a mental disorder that involves recurrent unwanted thoughts and/or repeated behaviors. The obsessions or compulsions that accompany OCD can be distressing and disrupt daily living. OCD can affect 1% to 3 % of the world’s population.
There are many treatments available for OCD. However, not all of them are effective. Some patients turn to cannabis for relief. What is its effectiveness?
Drug Science conducted a study on the 257 patients who had been diagnosed with OCD as part of Project T21. T21, which began in 2019 and aims to gather the most evidence on the efficacy and safety of medical marijuana, has collected real-world data from more than 4,500 UK patients.
In relation to the OCD cohort, individuals were prescribed an average of 2.2 cannabis-based medical products (CBMPs), with most products — 73.7% — falling into the THC-dominant flower category.
Researchers found that after three months of treatment there was a substantial improvement in indicators for quality of life, such as:
- General health
- mood/depression
- Sleeping
A similar reduction of anxiety symptoms was observed in the GAD-7 subsample, a self-reporting questionnaire that is used to assess and screen for generalized anxiety disorder.
Cannabis use can have adverse effects. 5.7% reported 14 effects. 57% described these as mild.
Researchers concluded that:
There is an urgent need to conduct more clinical trials and research in order to find out which patients may be most benefitted by the use of CBMPs. says the study abstract.
Full report can be viewed here.
In a somewhat related, but contradictory way, we have recently published a review on the systematic use of cannabis for anxiety management. This study had some limitations but showed significant results against the use of marijuana to manage OCD.