CBD is becoming increasingly popular, and it's no surprise, as it is known for its positive medicinal qualities for numerous conditions. In this article, we analyze what CBD can do for you if you suffer from depressive symptoms.
What effect does CBD have on depression?
What is exactly meant by depression? And how and with what ingredients can CBD oil alleviate its symptoms? What is depression and what does CBD do?
Depression affects many people. It is a set of serious conditions in which the mood of the affected person(s) is severely impacted.
Those who suffer from depression present severe psychological symptoms that lead to an almost daily feeling of sadness ranging from severe to very severe, often accompanied by fatigue, lethargy, anxiety, and withdrawal. If there is manic depression, periods of severe depression alternate with moments of euphoria, during which the patient is euphoric and believes they can conquer the entire world.
CBD (cannabidiol)
CBD has cannabis as its main ingredient, but it does not provide the psychological effects that cannabis does. Therefore, CBD does not get you high. The CBD cannabinoid boosts the immune system and has positive health effects. If you have depressive symptoms, they can be reduced with CBD. This is because CBD stimulates the brain receptors, causing serotonin (better) to be released in the brain. This provides a calming effect. Several recent studies, including one from 2010, have shown that cannabinoids have mood-enhancing properties. With this, they have effects similar to imipramine, a widely used antidepressant.
Characteristics and symptoms of depression
If you suffer from depression, you have nothing to envy. In short, depression presents two main symptoms. The first is psychological-mental. The patient appears apathetic, negative, gloomy, downcast, and may have suicidal tendencies. The second main symptom is physically perceptible. People who suffer from depression are often tired, do not eat, and sleep or sleep poorly, have less energy, and often have a reduced sex drive.
Doctors distinguish three types of depression. The first is depression with a single episode, also called major depression. For at least two weeks, the patient suffers from the mentioned symptoms. But the depression is a single episode and does not reappear after recovery. A second variant is chronic depression. In this case, depression reappears one or more times with an interval of at least two months. Finally, there is dysthymic disorder. This involves relatively mild depressive symptoms, but they persist for a long time.
The beneficial effects of CBD
CBD primarily has a positive effect on the endocannabinoid system (ECS). Studies show that the oil positively affects the mood of depressed individuals in various ways. For example, it increases serotonin and glutamate levels, leading to a calmer mood and more energy. Research has also shown that CBD terpenes have a positive effect. This is especially true for the terpene beta-caryophyllene, which works well to combat symptoms of depression and anxiety issues.
