How cannabis and CBD can help remove the stigma surrounding mental illness
Millions of Americans face mental health problems. Often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, those who silently suffer from mental health problems remain silent, often due to the stigma that shrouds depression.Anxiety and other psychiatric disorders.
Two perspectives on cannabis and mental health
Olivia Alexander, the founder of Kush queens, an online CBD and cannabis products retailer, recently announced that she was questioning growing a business and running a team while looking into using cannabis for mental health. “It’s hard to admit that there are days you can’t cope with everyday life without cannabis,” Olivia explains online. CBD and cannabis helped alleviate the symptoms of Olivia’s bipolar disorder, and Olivia found that she used cannabis more successfully than without it.
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But there is another side to the story. Dr. Elinore F. McCance-Katz believes substances like marijuana can pose mental health risks. In 2018 she shared, “As a clinical psychiatrist specializing in addiction, as someone advocating the treatment of people with substance use disorders, as a concerned American – I cannot stress enough how underestimated the risks and consequences of marijuana use in our country are dialogue. “Dr. McCane-Katz named risks such as a decrease in IQ and a” predisposition to mental illness “as risks that society has to face.
Interesting, A 2016 study shows no loss of IQ British teenagers who used marijuana.
“Marijuana users lost about four IQ points over the course of the study. But their abstinent twin siblings showed a similar pattern of decline, suggesting that the loss of mental acuity was due to something other than pot … “ – The American Association for the Advancement of Science
Two completely different perspectives lead to a gigantic question: When do the rewards outweigh the risks?
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Mental Health: The Numbers Involved
The National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) shared powerful mental health statistics that may provide more insight:
- Approximately one in five adults in the United States (46.6 million) will have mental illness in any given year.
- Serious mental illness costs America $ 193.2 billion in lost earnings each year.
- 7.8% of adults in the US – 19.4 million – had at least one major depression in 2019.
- Only 44.8% of US adults with mental illness were treated in the past year. 65.5% of adults with severe mental illness received psychiatric benefits in 2019.
- Suicide is the 10thth Leading cause of death in the United States,and the 2nd Leading cause of death for people aged 10 to 34 years.
Steps to a solution
It may go some way to stay right now that cannabis can remove the stigma of mental illness, but it certainly has the power to enable and initiate conversations that can lead to a cure. Ljubica Kostovic from TRNTO believes that perceptions of CBD and cannabis are already changing, with people more willing to use them for pain, anxiety, and PTSD.
RELATED: Marijuana Reduces Symptoms of Anxiety, Depression, and Stress
He said, “Cannabis has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years and to treat mental illnesses for over a century. Full legalization at the federal level gives us a unique opportunity to explore these.”
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Because marijuana use and mental health are heavily stigmatized, there may be solutions as simple as talking. Twisp House of Cannabis A 74-year-old woman named Sonja was recently hired in Washington after they noticed that many of their older guests wanted to speak to someone who was or was in their place.
RELATED: Mental Health Gut Check – When Are You Talking To Someone?
Sonja, who is undergoing certification, hopes to remove the stigma of cannabis by sharing her story and the benefits of marijuana with adults who may not have asked about it yet. This tactic is widely used in the mental health community and allows for greater inclusion and trust.
Stories are an incredible balm, aren’t they? When individuals feel confident about sharing, others can do the same.
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