The Benefits of Medical Marijuana for PTSD
PTSD stands for post-traumatic stress disorder, which is characterized by the onset of certain symptoms and exposure to events that eventually cause some form of trauma.
According to many people, the symptoms of PTSD can be treated correctly with medical marijuana, thus alleviating certain symptoms and providing a sense of comfort, especially for those who are often affected by the symptoms.
What Is PTSD?
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental affliction that can be as deadly as any illness, natural disaster, or even war. This disorder falls under the category of anxiety disorders and is believed to be caused by some traumatic event or occurrence such as sexual abuse and/or rape as well as the death of a loved one, or even some kidnappings. As it is a disorder that can attack some people, it should be noted that there are three types of it, and it can be acute, chronic or delayed in onset, where the symptoms appear sometime after the traumatic event. Similarly, it should be noted that PTSD does not attack all people, being more common in women, those who have gone through a difficult event, and those who have a history of mental problems.
Symptoms And How Medical Marijuana for PTSD Patients Can Help
Symptoms for PTSD are often different for each person and can appear at different times, as are those who experience symptoms soon after the traumatic event and those who have symptoms within a year of the event.
Among the most common symptoms of patients are:
- Memories
Memories of the traumatic event experienced can take the form of nightmares, flashbacks, or exaggerated thoughts about the lived experience, all accompanied by fear and anguish.
- Evasion
Symptoms of avoidance may be in the form of fear of someone or someplace that triggers memories of that traumatic experience, as well as the need to keep busy to avoid thinking about what happened.
- Nervousness
PTSD also presents as easy anxiety or nervousness, leading the body to a constant state of tension or alertness, thus affecting the sleep cycle and causing constant episodes of anger.
- Mood changes
These mood swings are characteristic of PTSD, leading people to have gaps around the event, loss of interest in things they like, constant feelings of fear, and concentration problems, among others.
As far as treatment for PTSD is concerned, there are many people who can overcome PTSD with the help of therapy, where they find the tools they need to overcome the event. On the other hand, there are people who require medication to treat the disorder, such as antidepressants or medication to help them fall asleep and rest again.
Medical Marijuana
Despite the existence of different methods of overcoming PTSD, there are many people who have decided to resort to the effects of medical marijuana, since according to what is known about it, it has properties capable of transmitting calm.
In the United States, it is estimated that a large number (over a million) of people suffer from this disorder because of wars, and there are places in the world where women suffer most from it. Many scientists say that patients are tempted to use substances such as marijuana, which causes relaxation effects and relieves any symptoms that may occur. Because of these speculations, several studies have been conducted to show how medical marijuana works for people with PTSD, with encouraging results for patients. One Israeli neurologist found that medical marijuana possesses THC, which may be beneficial in eliminating memory of such traumatic events that cause PTSD, thus finding a way for patients to have relief. Similarly, a study of rats with this disorder showed that those added medical marijuana could go up to 24 hours without symptoms of the disorder. Also, studies of PTSD patients confirmed that most patients did not have recurrent symptoms when they used medical marijuana.
Benefits of Medical Marijuana
Symptom relief with medical marijuana for those with this disorder is because marijuana is a powerful option for reducing feelings of anxiety and pain.
The latter was proven by Harvard University, so in addition to treating these symptoms of PTSD, it is also used by those cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Also, it is said that marijuana is effective in treating feelings of anger and fear, because according to other studies, it is a powerful relaxant that acts quickly in people.
Finally, medical marijuana is a plant that is of great help in treating other common human diseases, some of which are mental thanks to the feeling of tranquility and pain relief that it transmits.
Medical marijuana for treating PTSD
Although some hi-profile cannabis care treatment facilities such as All Natural MD Florida medical marijuana doctor has shown some relief for PTSD patients via the use of medical marijuana and its CBD components. The reality is that studies have yet to be done to test the reliability of this treatment, which is less aggressive than certain drugs. As mentioned, there are three types of PTSD that can affect people of different ages. Finally, it should be noted that there are currently several different strains of PTSD that can be effectively treated with the help of medical marijuana, as well as other options that are also effective.
The relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder has become an increasingly prominent clinical and research concern. Patients who seek treatment for either PTSD or substance use disorder have relatively high rates of comorbidity for the other disorder. The goal of the present study was to explore clinical characteristics of cocaine-dependent patients with and without co-occurring PTSD. Greater understanding of these subgroups may lead to improved case finding, greater awareness of the range of sequelae typical of these two disorders, and more sophisticated treatments. Specifically, we attempted to identify differences between cocaine-dependent outpatients with and without PTSD, using a battery of measures that extends the results reported in the existing literature. The measures included a description of types of traumas and PTSD symptoms experienced; a wide range of substance abuse and psychiatric symptom measures; assessment of interpersonal functioning, cognition, motivation for treatment, and perceived need for treatment; use of self-help groups; and therapists' emotional reactions to the patients.
A consecutive sample of 330 patients with PTSD (age 17–83) following a wide range of traumas were treated by 34 therapists, who received training and supervision in CT-PTSD. Pre and post treatment data (PTSD symptoms, anxiety, depression) were collected for all patients, including dropouts. Hierarchical linear modeling investigated candidate moderators of outcome and therapist effects.
Additional Resources:
- https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/behavioural-and-cognitive-psychotherapy/article/narrative-exposure-treatment-as-intervention-in-a-refugee-camp-a-case-report/20C226F008627ADBE84E198F65E8C777
- https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2011-23151-001
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1077722908001430
- https://search.proquest.com/openview/7a67bcb17faa59e446da255ca1dcb90d/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=35753
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0163834302002037
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