Use of Cannabis in the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

By Pharmacology University

An event that had an impact on you, an accident, the traumas of war...are situations that could cause anxiety, fear, insecurities, stress, among others. Millions of people have the well-known post-traumatic stress disorder and cannabis could be an ally in its treatment.

The scientific understanding of psychological trauma has witnessed a constant evolution since the 19th century to the present day, several terms have been created in the effort to categorize this phenomenon, as well as multiple explicatory theories often contradictory between each other. In 1889, Herman Oppenheim, a German neurologist, introduced the term "traumatic neurosis". This condition was explained in an organicist manner, by subtle changes at the molecular level in the nervous system. In 1904, Pierre Janet proposed the first explanation of what we today know as PTSD, caused by a failure in memory integration due to extreme emotional arousal.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is defined as an exposure to a highly traumatic event, be it a bombing, rape, assault, kidnapping, accident, and more; where the lives of the people in the event are at risk. The images of the traumatic situation are experienced over and over again (flashback), against one's will and despite the time, it remains present and is manifested by intense anxiety reactions such as: worry, intense fear, lack of control, high physiological activation and others. This generates stress, exhaustion, intense emotions and irrational thoughts that increase in intensity.

Currently, cannabinoids -substances derived from the cannabis plant- have been involved in modulating the stress response in various animal models in which some degree of stress has been generated. It has also been shown that corticosterone facilitates the synthesis and release of endocannabinoids. In addition, systemic or direct administration in the amygdala reduces stress in fear conditioning models. The recent knowledge about cannabinoids provides a novel therapeutic window for many mental disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder.

Preliminary data indicate that medical cannabis and its compounds can manage symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder related to hyper-excitability. Anxious responses to exteroceptive stimuli and trauma experiences that are context-dependent. While these clinical observations need to be sustained and replicated in larger populations, they provide a clue to the calming effects that cannabis may have on stress and anxiety behaviors. (Patel et al. 2017)

The rapid progress that medical research has had to determine the therapeutic properties of cannabis derivatives and the medicinal use of this plant, has generated hope for improving the quality of life of people suffering from various diseases; this based on the beneficial effects that phytocannabinoids have shown against many disorders such as PTSD.

In this book that Pharmacology University brings to you, we will explore in more detail what this disorder consists of, what are its clinical manifestations, how the endocannabinoid system acts, as well as the role that cannabinoids can have on the stress and fear experienced by people who suffer from the dreaded post-traumatic stress disorder.
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• Language: English
• Publisher: Pharmacology University
• Release date: Dec 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005849078

Pharmacology University

Pharmacology University is a company with more than 12 years of experience in educational systems focused on medicinal cannabis. We were born in Texas and since then we have had the challenge of transforming the social stigma of medicinal cannabis with the best tool in the world: Education.

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Table of contents

Introduction

Post-traumatic stress syndrome:

Role of the endocannabinoid system in posttraumatic stress disorder

Cannabis in PTSD treatment

Conclusion

About the author

References and bibliography

INTRODUCTION

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the result of experiencing or witnessing an emotionally traumatic event that is perceived as a threat to the life or limb of oneself or others. PTSD affects approximately 8% to 9% of people during their lifetime and is overrepresented in the veteran population.1 PTSD manifests primarily as symptoms in cognition when the trauma is re-experienced through intrusive memories, flashbacks, and/or nightmares; active avoidance of external and internal reminders of the trauma; heightened mood and emotional states such as depression, anxiety, psychological instability, impulsivity, and hyperactivity; changes in social skills in both personal and interpersonal functioning.

Pierre Janet

The risk of exposure to trauma has been part of the human condition since we evolved as a species. Attacks by ancient saber-toothed tigers or 21st century terrorists are likely to have produced similar psychological sequelae in survivors of such violence. Shakespeare's Henry IV seems to meet many of the diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as do other heroes and heroines of world literature.

In 1980, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) added PTSD to the third edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III) nosological classification scheme. Although controversial when it was first introduced, the diagnosis of PTSD has filled an important gap in psychiatric theory and practice. From a historical perspective, the significant change introduced by the concept of PTSD was the stipulation that the etiologic agent was outside the individual (i.e., a traumatic event) rather than an inherent individual weakness (i.e., a traumatic neurosis). The key to understanding the scientific basis and clinical expression of PTSD is the concept of trauma.

PTSD is primarily treated with various psychotherapies