Anxiety can be short term or something that has to be faced every day. Occasional anxiety if a normal part of life. It’s a normal reaction to stress. We worry about things like money, family, health, and maybe even what the color is on the COVID board. But, when the anxiety becomes constant and there doesn’t seem to be any relief, that’s something that has to be faced. That’s not a normal part of life and shouldn’t be something that has to be a part of your everyday life.
The National Institute of Health (NIH) states there are three types of anxiety. Generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and various phobia-related disorders. Here are the symptoms you can water for.
This kind of anxiety typically involves a persistent feeling of dread which can interfere with daily life. It’s not the same as worrying about this or experience stress due to life events. This anxiety can last for months or even years.
This type of anxiety disorder causes frequent and unexpected feelings of panic. Panic attacks involve sudden feelings of intense fear, discomfort, or a sense of losing control, even while there is no clear threat of any danger or even a trigger for danger. Panic attacks don’t always indicate a panic disorder but, during a panic attack, a person may have the following experience:
This is an intense, persistent fear of being watched and judged by others. The fear of social situations may feel so intense that is seems beyond their control and overwhelming. This is typically an intense fear of a social or performance situation. This type of anxiety can interfere with work, school, or just doing everyday things. Some symptoms may include:
A phobia is defined as an intense fear of specific objects or situations. In some circumstances, it can be perfectly normal to have an anxious response, for instance, right before a test that makes up 80% of the yearly grade or a big interview that could double annual salary. But, the fear those with phobia related disorders feel is out or proportion to the realistic danger or threat caused by the situation or object. Phobia related disorders can often include fear of the following:
Agoraphobia (fear of using public transportation, being in open or enclosed spaces, standing in line, or being outside of the home alone) and Separation anxiety disorder (the fear of being apart from people or a person they have become attached to) are under the category of social anxiety disorders.
Traditionally, anxiety disorders are treated with psychotherapy, medication, or both.
Some people with anxiety disorders can find relief with therapy alone. To be effective, your therapist will work with the specific disorder and anxieties and tailor your treatment to meet your needs.
Types of therapy can include:
Treating anxiety with medication doesn’t cure it, but it can help to ease the symptoms. Anti-depressants, beta-blockers, and anti-anxiety medications are the traditional choices of psychiatrists and primary care doctors.
In 2016, Walsh et al.7 reviewed the literature on the use of medical marijuana for anxiety and concluded that evidence from cross-sectional studies generally supported the effects of reducing anxiety provided by medical marijuana. The researchers identified eight cross-sectional studies that reported anxiety reduction as a primary or secondary benefit of medical marijuana. One of these studies noted that retrospective reports indicated symptoms of anxiety returned upon cessation of marijuana use.
The endocannabinoid system appears to play an important role in responses to stress and anxiety. The two primary active ingredients of marijuana, THC and CBD, appear to have differing effects with regard to anxiety. Pure THC appears to decrease anxiety at lower doses and increase anxiety at higher doses. On the other hand, pure CBD appears to decrease anxiety at all doses that have been tested. In addition, there appears to be tolerance to these effects over a short period of time with regular use. The key to effective use, based on anecdotal evidence and patient studies, appears to be moderating dosage and length of use. This is true not just for marijuana but for most medications. Testing dose by trial and length of time by taking tolerance breaks from medical marijuana, would be something the patient and doctor would need to adjust in order to achieve optimal effects.
If you feel you might have tendencies towards an anxiety disorder or you received a high score on your Beck assessment, you should work with a healthcare provider to choose the best treatment for you. You can get started with an evaluation from The Healing Clinics to see if Medical Marijuana might be a good fit for you. Click the button to take the first step in your healing journey!
