An Examination of the Acute and Long-Term Influences of Cannabis on Symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Many people with mental disorders self-medicate with cannabis. However, there remains minimal research on the effects of cannabis on symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The existing research suggests that there are links between OCD and cannabis misuse. Further, a small number of studie...
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| Format: | Dissertation |
| Language: | English |
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ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
01-01-2021
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| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | Many people with mental disorders self-medicate with cannabis. However, there remains minimal research on the effects of cannabis on symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The existing research suggests that there are links between OCD and cannabis misuse. Further, a small number of studies suggest that regular administration of synthetic cannabinoids, in combination with more conventional treatment, may decrease OCD symptoms. Finally, research utilizing rodent models of compulsive behavior suggests that cannabidiol (CBD; a non-intoxicating cannabis constituent) may reduce compulsive marble burying. Still, no empirical research has examined the acute effects of whole-plant cannabis on OCD symptoms in humans. Therefore, the primary aim of the present study was to examine the acute effects of cannabis on core (intrusive thoughts, compulsive behavior) and ancillary (anxiety, stress) OCD symptoms, as well as potential predictors (time, gender, cannabis constituents, dose, and comorbid diagnoses) of changes in these symptoms. Additionally, changes in the severity of baseline OCD symptoms and doses of cannabis were examined as a function of the repeated use of cannabis over time, to explore potential long-term consequences of using cannabis. To achieve these aims archival data from the Strainprint® application, which allows medical cannabis patients to track changes in their symptoms as a function of different strains and doses of cannabis, were analyzed. Results revealed that acute cannabis intoxication reduced reported severity of intrusions (~49%), compulsions (~60%), anxiety (~52%), and stress (~52%). Latent change score models revealed that higher concentrations of CBD and higher doses predicted larger reductions in compulsions. These models provided evidence for the development of tolerance to the effects of cannabis on intrusions, with later cannabis use sessions resulting in smaller symptom reductions than earlier sessions. Nevertheless, multilevel models revealed evidence that dose of cannabis used to manage intrusions decreased across time, while dose used to manage compulsions, anxiety, and stress remained consistent across time. Furthermore, multilevel models revealed that baseline compulsions, intrusions, and stress remain static across cannabis use sessions over time, whereas baseline symptoms of anxiety decreased over time. Collectively, these results indicate that cannabis may have acute beneficial effects on OCD but few long-term benefits. |
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| ISBN: | 9798471132016 |