Schizophrenia is a chronic mental health condition where people are unable to separate thoughts from reality and have a tendency towards psychosis. We all have usual thoughts from time to time, but if we believed them to be true with conviction, it would be very frightening.
The reasons why schizophrenia develops are still not fully understood, yet in may be due to genetic or environmental factors. Some life situations may also trigger schizophrenia in some cases, such as trauma, stress, or drug misuse.
Types of schizophrenia vary, but all have some common symptoms:
- hallucinations such as hearing, seeing, smelling or feeling things that do not exist in reality. One common hallucination is hearing voices, believing them to be real.
- delusions, beliefs that are not real. A common symptom of paranoid schizophrenia is the person believing they are being watched or followed. Sometimes they may think they are being harassed. Other delusions may be that someone or something is communicating with them in some way, such as hidden messages in everyday occurrences. Some may believe that someone or something else is controlling their behaviour.
- confused thoughts, conversations may be difficult for others to follow or understand.
- withdrawing from usual activities.
- avoiding people and friends.
- being awake but unresponsive is a symptom of catatonic schizophrenia. This extreme form is characterised by either very little movement, or peculiar movements, such as holding poses for long periods of time, staying in position until someone moves them, not moving at all, strange postures, mimicking other people’s movements or speech, agitation, or being mute. Catatonic episodes can last for several days or weeks.
Signs of schizophrenia often develop slowly, so the condition might not be apparent at first. Early signs include being withdrawn from others, lack of care about appearance or personal hygiene, a dislike of leaving the home, or a change in sleeping patterns.
Some people may experience period of severe schizophrenic symptoms, followed by quieter periods where there are few or no symptoms, known as acute schizophrenia.
Traditional Treatment Options for Schizophrenia
Once someone has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, they are likely to need the support of mental health workers, friends and family, and medications.
A doctor may prescribe antipsychotic medications to reduce the symptoms, but they may take some time to work for hallucination and delusions. Antipsychotic medications may only need to be taken until an acute episode has passed, or they may be needed longer term depending on the severity of the illness. For more extreme cases, interventions may be needed, such as enforced or voluntary treatment in a residential mental health hospital.
A support network of mental health workers, friends and family is important for those with schizophrenia. This will help monitor the condition and get the right medications in time to prevent psychotic symptoms developing into a serious episode.
CBT therapy may be helpful in helping someone with schizophrenia recognise when their symptoms are growing, so they may not act on their delusions or hallucinations and stop behaviour from becoming out of control.
An overall healthy lifestyle helps to regulate emotions and may help to keep schizophrenia in check. This includes eating a healthy diet, avoiding smoking and alcohol, and regular exercise. Supplements can also be helpful in naturally supporting health and well-being, such as CBD oil.
CBD Oil for Schizophrenia
CBD oil is a health supplement made from hemp, a strain of cannabis. Hemp has a long history of being used medicinally and doesn’t make people feel high. People usually associate cannabis with recreational drugs, but hemp is a plant that only contains very low levels of THC, the cannabinoid that is found in high levels in marijuana. These plants are strains of cannabis but are very different in their composition. Hemp is rich in CBD and beneficial cannabinoids, and is used as a supplement to support treatment of many physical and mental health conditions.
CBD oil is well documented as being beneficial for mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, and this has prompted further interest in CBD as a treatment for other mental conditions, such as psychosis.
This study1 compared the use of CBD oil for schizophrenia against the antipsychotic drug amisulpride. It concluded that “CBD is as effective as amisulpride in treating psychotic symptoms and has fewer adverse effects, including less extra pyramidal symptoms and weight gain.” This shows that CBD oil may be preferable to some antipsychotic drugs, as it equals effectiveness yet does not come with the unwanted side-effects of medications.
In another study2 researchers assessed the safety and effectiveness of CBD oil for schizophrenia. It discovered that, “Compared with the placebo group, the CBD group showed greater improvement of positive psychotic symptoms over the course of the treatment … Moreover, by the end of the treatment, more patients in the CBD group were rated as “improved” on the CGI-I scale compared with those in the placebo group (78.6% and 54.6%, respectively).”
This shows that CBD is a valuable cannabinoid in the treatment of schizophrenia symptoms, as well as helping to reduce the need for antipsychotic medications in some cases.
Getting the best results from CBD oil relies upon finding the correct dosage for an individual. As people are all different, there is no single dosages that works for all. Factors such as height, weight and age should be taken into consideration. Our CBD oil calculator makes finding your starting dose quick and easy. Just enter a few details about yourself, and you get a personalised CBD dosage displayed in minutes!
As we learn more about schizophrenia and CBD, the more potential it has as a treatment. For now, both the scientific research and anecdotal evidence is promising. Along with its direct effects of schizophrenia, CBD support a number of bodily processes and functions, contributing to overall health and well-being. When people feel well in body, it also has a positive effect on mental health.
What you need to know about Schizophrenia and CBD Oil
Schizophrenia is a mental health condition that can develop into psychosis. People with schizophrenia may not be able to separate irrational and unusual thoughts from reality. Although schizophrenia is chronic, with the right treatment the symptoms can often be kept under control.
Common symptoms of schizophrenia are hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, confused thoughts, and withdrawing from friends and activities. Other symptoms may include lack of self-care and changes in behaviours such as sleep patterns. In some cases, people develop catatonic symptoms, where they are unresponsive to those around them, perform unusual movements or poses, or copy other people’s speech or movements.
CBD oil has been shown to be helpful in treating the symptoms of schizophrenia. It has potent antipsychotic properties, as well as alleviating co-exiting conditions such as depression and anxiety. CBD is also beneficial to a number of processes and functions in the body, helping to improve overall health.
The correct dosage that bring the best therapeutic results will differ depending on the individual. Weight, height and age are all factors that should be considered when working out the optimal CBD dosage for schizophrenia. The best way to find the starting dose you need is by using our CBD oil dosage calculators. You get a personalised recommendation displayed in minutes!