Cannabis Effective on Mental Illness; Depends on Severity

Researchers in the field of mental healthcare from McMaster University and St. Joseph’s Hospital Hamilton, both in Canada, have discovered data that suggests the usefulness of cannabis for treating mental diseases including sleeplessness and depression may depend on the intensity of the symptoms. The team examined data from a group of Strainprint mobile app users for their study, which was then published in the journal Comprehensive Psychiatry.

Previous studies and anecdotal data have suggested that cannabis may help some persons with mental health issues by easing their symptoms. The researchers in Canada examined the effects of cannabis on persons who suffer from depression, sleeplessness, excessive irritability, PMS, PTSD, and intrusive thoughts in this latest effort.

They did this by gaining access to data from Strainprint users who frequently have such mental problems. Users of the app can keep track of the condition they have, how severe their symptoms are, the dosage of cannabis they are using to treat it, the product they are using, and how they are utilizing it (edible, oil, flower, etc.).

The researchers discovered certain patterns after gathering, evaluating, and applying the data from 1,300 adult users. They also out that the effectiveness of cannabis in symptom relief may depend on the severity of the symptoms. For instance, they discovered that many users who reported feeling high after using cannabis reported little to no relief from depression. In fact, some people said that it made their symptoms worse.

Yet, a lot of users who admitted to having mild depressive symptoms said that cannabis helped with those symptoms. The contrary appeared to be true, in stark contrast, for individuals who were experiencing sleeplessness. Numerous cannabis users who admitted to experiencing modest symptoms discovered that it had no effect on their ability to fall asleep. Yet, many of them who complained of severe symptoms discovered it was beneficial. The team’s findings imply that it may be feasible to anticipate whether consuming cannabis will assist to lessen various mental health symptoms.

The study’s authors note that its limitations should be taken into consideration when interpreting its findings, especially for people who use cannabis products to treat their own mental health issues.

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