Cannabis Seeds - Cannabis Useful for Treating Psychosis.

The latest study shows psychiatric sufferers treated with a substance found in cannabis seeds - cannabidiol, showed a significant reduction in psychotic symptomsand were also more likely to be rated as “improved” by their psychiatrist.

Psychotic disorders affect two to three per cent of the population and usually begin in early adulthood, the symptoms can be lifelong.

People suffering from psychosis can experience paranoia, hallucinations and a lack of motivation. The main treatment for psychosis is antipsychotic drugs, which has been the treatment used since the 1950s.

These drugs have been reported to being partially effective, in around a third of sufferers they don’t work at all and can also have significant side effects.

Research at King’s College London has demonstrated that cannabidiol (CBD), a substance found in cannabis, has the opposite effects on brain function and on symptoms to the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

THC is responsible for many of the harmful effects of cannabis, such as paranoia and anxiety, whereas CBD appears to reduce these symptoms. This recent trial suggests that CBD might be useful as a treatment for psychosis and other mental health disorders.

During a recent study 88 people with psychosis were given either CBD cannabis seeds or a placebo for six weeks alongside their existing antipsychotic medication. Before and after treatment, researchers assessed their level of psychotic symptoms and the patient’s psychiatrist rated their condition overall. Neither the researchers nor the psychiatrists knew whether the patients were receiving CBD or placebo.

There was a reduction in symptoms in the sufferers treated with CBD cannabis seeds, and the clinicians looking after them thought that they had got better. The rate of possible side effects in sufferers given CBD was no more than in sufferers who were given the placebo.

While it is still unclear exactly how CBD cannabis seeds works, the study demonstrates that it acts in a different way to antipsychotic medication, so it could represent a new class of treatment.

The absence of side effects is also potentially important, as a key problem in caring for people with psychosis is that they are often reluctant to take antipsychotic drugs because of concerns about side effects.

Larger trials of CBD will be required to substantiate these initial findings, and to assess the effectiveness of CBD in other types of patients.