Psychiatric Conditions that may be treated with medicinal cannabis.
“While there is conflicting information surrounding cannabis and anxiety, we know that many patients benefit from using medicinal cannabis to treat their anxiety and those that do maintain an ongoing medicinal cannabis treatment plan for anxiety do so because they prefer these treatments to standard or conventional treatments they have previously tried.” – Dr. Amanda Steele MChd – The medicinal cannabis library.
If you are looking for a natural alternative to manage your condition, then check your eligibility and book a consultation with your local Medicann Clinic.
ADHD
ADHD is a condition that affects a person’s behaviour and symptoms are usually noticed in childhood and often improve with age. ADHD may also occur alongside other conditions such as sleep or anxiety disorders.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of ADHD are categorised into two types of behavioural problems: inattentiveness hyperactivity and impulsiveness.
Common symptoms can include:
Having a short attention span, careless mistakes, forgetting or losing things, being unable to stick to tasks, constantly fidgeting, being unable to concentrate on tasks, excessive physical movement, and excessive talking.
While traditional therapies are often useful, medicinal cannabis can be considered in cases where these treatments have been unsuccessful. There is growing evidence that cannabis products can help in improving symptoms.
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is an intense fear of being in public spaces or situations where escape might be difficult if things go wrong.
What are the symptoms?
If a person with Agoraphobia finds themself in a stressful situation they may experience many physical symptoms such as Rapid heartbeat, hyperventilating, feeling clammy, feeling sick or faint, chest pains and other cognitive symptoms that are associated with anxiety.
There is growing evidence that medicinal cannabis can be useful for anxiety-related conditions if other treatments have been unsuccessful cannabis products may be considered.
Anxiety
Anxiety is characterised as a general feeling of unease, such as worry or fear that can range from mild to severe.
What are the symptoms?
Anxiety is the main symptom of several conditions such as:
Panic disorder, Phobias, Post-traumatic stress disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Generalised Anxiety Disorder. Other symptoms include: Feeling restless or worried, Having trouble concentrating or sleeping, and Experiencing dizziness or heart palpitations.
Ongoing research has revealed that medicinal cannabis can help manage symptoms and reduce generalised feelings of Anxiety.
Appetite Disorders
Also referred to as Eating Disorders, appetite disorders refer to a broad range of conditions, categorised by eating, exercise and body weight becoming an unhealthy obsession.
What are the symptoms?
The three most common specific appetite disorders and their symptoms are:
Anorexia Disorder – attempting to control your weight by not eating enough food or eating too much.
Bulimia – losing control over how much you eat and then taking drastic actions to avoid putting on weight.
Binge eating disorder – eating large amounts of food until you feel uncomfortably full.
Other signs may include: Being preoccupied with your weight, Avoiding social situations where food will be involved, Making yourself sick or taking laxatives after you eat, Exercising excessively, and Having strict routines around food.
There is evidence to suggest that medicinal cannabis may be used in the treatment of some eating conditions due to the potential that it increases appetite.
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autism Spectrum Disorder can affect the way a person communicates and interacts with the world. It can affect people in different ways and is often co-occurring with other conditions such as ADHD, Anxiety, Depression and Epilepsy.
What are the symptoms?
People with ASD can display a wide range of signs and symptoms which can vary some of these include Challenges with social communication and interaction, repetitive or restrictive behaviour, over or undersensitive to light, sound, taste or touch, highly focused interests or hobbies, extreme anxiety and meltdowns or shutdowns.
Medicinal cannabis has been found to be useful in the treatment of anxiety, insomnia and depression all of which are common in people with ASD and may be used as an option for symptom management.
Depression
Depression is among the most common mental health conditions and is characterised by periods of low mood.
What are the symptoms?
Depression can affect people in different ways and can include: Low self-esteem, feeling tearful, feeling guilty, being irritable and intolerant of others, a lack of motivation, losing interest in things you used to enjoy, Anxiety, having suicidal thoughts or feelings of harming yourself.
In some cases physical symptoms could also present themselves such as: Feeling tired, sleeping badly, having no appetite, low libido, and aches and pains.
In some cases, medicinal cannabis can be considered when first-line treatments are unsuccessful to help improve symptoms or quality of life.
Insomnia
Insomnia is a common psychiatric condition that affects sleep for consecutive nights. It can have an impact on quality of life and everyday activities including work and social life.
What are the symptoms?
There are several signs when someone is determined to have insomnia such as: Finding it hard to go to sleep, Waking up several times during the night, lying awake at night, waking up early and being unable to go back to sleep, still feeling tired after waking up, feeling tired and irritable throughout the day, finding it difficult to concentrate during the day.
Current evidence suggests that medicinal cannabis may be used to manage sleeping problems such as insomnia due to the potential ability of cannabinoids to reduce stress and anxiety.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is an Anxiety disorder which is triggered by stressful or traumatic events.
What are the symptoms?
A person with PTSD often relives a traumatic event through nightmares and flashbacks and may experience feelings of guilt, irritability, and isolation due to the condition.
An increasing number of people have reported the benefits of using cannabis products to ease the symptoms of PTSD. This is likely linked to the potential anxiety-relieving properties some cannabis-based medical products have.
Tourettes
Tourettes Syndrome is a condition that causes involuntary sounds and movements called tics.
What are the symptoms?
The main symptoms of Tourettes are tics usually appearing in childhood this could be a combination of physical or vocal tics examples include:
Blinking, Eye rolling, Grimacing, Shoulder shrugging, Head or limbs jerking, Touching objects or people, Whistling, Coughing, Grunting, Random words or phrases and repeating a sound or word.
Medicinal cannabis may help reduce tics and help to alleviate other symptoms of Tourettes.