Mental health care is an increasingly important area of research, with many seeking alternative treatments for depression, insomnia, PTSD, and other mental illnesses. Cannabis has been suggested as a potential treatment option, but its effectiveness in treating mental illnesses has been debated. In this article, we’ll explore a new study that sheds light on the topic.
Cannabis for Treating Mental Illnesses: Prior Research:
Previous research has suggested that cannabis may have a positive effect on mental health symptoms. Anecdotal evidence suggests that cannabis can help reduce symptoms for some people experiencing mental health problems. However, there has been little research on the topic, and there is still much to learn about the effects of cannabis on mental health.
The Study: Analyzing Strainprint App Data:
A team of mental health care researchers from St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and McMaster University, both in Canada, conducted a study to examine the impact of cannabis on people experiencing depression, insomnia, excessive irritability, PMS, PTSD, and intrusive thoughts. The researchers obtained access to data from people with such mental illnesses who regularly use the app Strainprint. The app allows users to record their type of illness, their level or degree of symptoms, concentrations of cannabis they are using for treatment of their illness, the product they use and its mode of use (edible, oil, flower, etc.).
Severity of Symptoms and Cannabis Effectiveness:
After analyzing the data from 1,300 adult users and applying an AI model, the researchers found that the severity of symptoms could play a role in how beneficial cannabis might be at alleviating symptoms. They found that many of the users reporting their symptoms as high reported little to no help with depression subsequent to cannabis use. Some, in fact, reported that cannabis made them feel worse. However, many users who reported minor depression symptoms reported that using cannabis improved their symptoms.
In sharp contrast, the opposite seemed to be the case for those experiencing insomnia. Many of the users who reported having minor symptoms found that taking cannabis did little to help them sleep. Many of those who reported severe symptoms, however, found it helped them. The results, the team notes, suggest it might be possible to predict whether taking cannabis might help to reduce some mental health symptoms.
Limitations of the Study:
The research team acknowledges that their study was limited and that caution should be used when interpreting their results, especially for those using cannabis products to self-medicate their own mental health problems. The study only examined data from users of the Strainprint app, which may not be representative of the broader population.
Additionally, the study did not control for other factors that may have influenced symptom change, such as medication use, therapy, or lifestyle changes.
More information: Nirushi Kuhathasan et al, Predictors of perceived symptom change with acute cannabis use for mental health conditions in a naturalistic sample: A machine learning approach, Comprehensive Psychiatry (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2023.152377
