Mental health includes our emotional, psychological and social well-being. It affects how we feel, think and act; and helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. 

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Several factors contribute to mental health issues, including biological factors (such as genes or brain chemistry) and life experiences (such as trauma or abuse). The endocannabinoid system plays a vital role in mental health because of its express influence on the nervous system. Studies have unmasked the potential therapeutic benefits of cannabidiol (CBD) in the adjunctive management of several psychological diseases and conditions. 

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Healthcare professionals incorporating Cannabis into their medical practice, whether prescribing medical marijuana and/or CBD derived from hemp, are encouraged by the many potential mechanisms of CBD fitting the current potential requirements for a successful adjunctive treatment option for psychological conditions. 

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• Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression, it affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. Individuals affected by depression may have difficulty conducting normal day-to-day activities and sometimes makes the affected individual feel as if life is not worth living. CBD may be beneficial in reducing the severity of symptoms associated with depression. Studies have found CBD to potentially help improve depressive symptoms by modulating the actions of the endocannabinoids and potentiating the effects of serotonin by enhancing the activity of the receptors unto which serotonin binds.

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• Anxiety is normal and the healthy body's natural response to stress. However, when a person regularly feels disproportionate levels of anxiety, it may become a medical disorder. Anxiety disorders form a category of mental health diagnoses that lead to excessive nervousness, fear, apprehension and worry. Anxiety disorders alter how affected individuals process emotions, behave and, at times, result in physical symptoms. Mild anxiety disorders may be vague and unsettling, while severe anxiety disorders may seriously affect day-to-day living. Research strongly suggests that CBD may improve anxiety-related disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD). Clinical studies have found CBD to exhibit a broad range of actions, relevant to multiple anxiety disorder symptom domains, including anxiolytic, panicolytic and anticompulsive actions, as well as a decrease in autonomic arousal, a decrease in conditioned fear expression, enhancement of fear extinction, reconsolidation blockade and prevention of the long-term anxiogenic effects of stress.  

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• Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder that is characterized by abnormal social behavior, inability to discern reality from fantasy, confused thought processes, hallucinations, limited social interactions & emotional expression and inactivity. Research indicates that schizophrenia may be associated with deficiencies of the endocannabinoid system. Scientists are currently studying how CBD could increase available endogenous cannabinoids in the brain and balance the endocannabinoid system. In addition, CBD may be beneficial in reducing the severity of certain symptoms associated with schizophrenia, such as anxiety, hallucinations and behavioral changes. Due to the psychoactive effects of delta-9-THC, individuals suffering from schizophrenia are advised to avoid Cannabis products containing this phytocannabinoid, unless otherwise directed by a qualified healthcare physician or provider.​

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• Drug addiction is a disease caused by a combination of behavioral, environmental and biological factors. A possible therapeutic application which has been investigated is the use of CBD to treat drug addiction. Clinical studies suggest that CBD may have therapeutic properties on opioid, cocaine and psychostimulant addiction, and some preliminary data suggest that it may be beneficial in tobacco addiction in humans.

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