Feeling anxious and nervous from time to time is a normal part of being human. You may be overcome with anxiety before delivering a speech, tackling a work problem, or making major decisions. However, for people living with an anxiety disorder, these anxious emotions can disrupt their daily life. They experience constant anxiety and fear or worry about things that don’t seem to bother others. Fortunately, with the guidance of a medical cannabis specialist, it may be possible to overcome anxiety disorders.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a natural body response to stressful events. It is characterized by a feeling of fear or dread about something that may happen in the future, e.g., the first day of school or attending a job interview. However, if the anxious feelings are excessive, last for more than half a year, and are hampering your daily routine, you might have an anxiety disorder.
It’s natural to feel anxiety about relocating to a new location, beginning a new job, or sitting for an academic examination. This form of anxiety is undesirable, but it might push you to work harder. Ordinary anxiety comes and goes, but it doesn’t obstruct your everyday life.
With an anxiety disorder, you find yourself feeling fearful too many times. The feeling is intense and may be debilitating. An anxiety disorder can cause you to withdraw from activities you used to enjoy. It may even prevent you from stepping into elevators, crossing a road, or leaving your house. If you do not receive the proper treatment, the anxiety may become worse over time.
Types of Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders come in many different types, including:
- Social Anxiety Disorder: Extreme fear of being judged in social settings, being embarrassed, offending somebody by accident, or being at the center of everybody’s attention.
- Separation Anxiety Disorder: Excessive fear of being away from home or losing someone you love.
- Specific Phobias: Although a lot of people fear things like public speaking, insects, or heights, phobia-related anxiety disorders convert a healthy impression of caution into a disabling horror.
- Panic Disorder: Experiencing persistent and unexpected panic attacks, and being afraid of the next panic attack.
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Repeated irrational thoughts (obsessions) that cause you to perform repetitive behaviors (compulsions).
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Failure to recover after undergoing or witnessing a dreadful event.
- Illness Anxiety Disorder: Obsession with the notion of suffering from a severe, but undiagnosed illness.
Treating Anxiety with Medical Cannabis
Anxiety can be effectively treated with medical cannabis. Both Cannabidiol (CBD) and Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) based treatments have been shown to work effectively for people with anxiety. However, most doctors lean toward administering high-CBD, low-THC treatments to anxiety patients.
Research shows that Cannabidiol can reduce anxiety by promoting levels of serotonin in the brain, which is how most antidepressants work as well. Studies on animals have also revealed that CBD can help to rejuvenate neurons in the part of the brain that manages memory and cognitive function.
High-THC products possess relaxing properties that can also help in decreasing symptoms of the disorder. But, the psychoactive effects of Tetrahydrocannabinol can sometimes actually elevate feelings of anxiety in some people.
Every patient reacts differently to cannabis-based treatments, so it may take a while to find the correct product for your specific situation. However, with careful guidance and doctor supervision, numerous anxiety patients discover that medical cannabis can be an excellent alternative to pharmaceutical products.
The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.
