In a published Letter to the Editor in the September issue of World Psychiatry, the Official Journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), a study done in the UK was presented. In this study, people at “Clinical High Risk” (CHR) for psychosis were given either 600mg per day of 99% pure CBD, or an identical-looking placebo.

After three weeks, the study found:

Following 21-day treatment (intention-to-treat, last observation carried forward analysis), CBD-treated participants had a lower total CAARMS score (F1,30=7.168, p=0.012) than those receiving placebo, after controlling for baseline score. There were no significant differences between the treatment groups in the incidence of treatment-emergent side effects

And:

The CBD group also reported less distress associated with psychotic symptoms (F1,30=4.66, p=0.039) and had a lower PANSS total score (p=0.042), after controlling for the respective baseline values.

The study noted that the placebo & CBD groups were comparable in demographics & and in clinical variables, and none of the study members were receiving any other psychotropic medications.

It seems like every day, more science is coming forward about the many potential benefits of hemp, CBD, and cannabinoids in general.

Relevant Terms:

CAARMS: Comprehensive Assessment of At-Risk Mental States

PANSS: Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale

Read the whole letter:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11403185/ 

Supplemental Information:

https://sites.google.com/view/supp-inf-bhattacharyya-24-wpsy/home 

Journal Reference:

Bhattacharyya S, Appiah-Kusi E, Wilson R, O'Neill A, Brammer M, Williams S, Perez J, Bossong MG, McGuire P. Effects of cannabidiol on symptoms in people at clinical high risk for psychosis. World Psychiatry. 2024 Oct;23(3):451-452. doi: 10.1002/wps.21253. PMID: 39279373; PMCID: PMC11403185.