Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health disorder characterized by persistent, intrusive and unsolicited thoughts and fears, commonly known as obsessions. People with OCD can also experience repetitive behavior known as compulsions.
Definition
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health disorder characterized by persistent, intrusive, and unsolicited thoughts and fears, commonly known as obsessions. People with OCD can also experience repetitive behavior known as compulsions. These obsessions and compulsions may cause distress, anxiety, and interfere with many aspects of life.1
Symptoms
People with OCD can experience repeated and intrusive thoughts which may lead to compulsive behavior or rituals in order to ignore or avoid obsessions.1
Often, symptoms belong to one of the following main themes:
Cause
The exact cause of OCD is not yet known. However, there are several risk factors that could be involved in the development of the disorder:1
Learning about obsessive fears and compulsive behavior from family members
Risk factors1
Factors that can increase the risk of OCD are:
Preclinical studies propose that cannabinoid receptors are significantly expressed in most parts of the main circuitry associated with OCD and enhancement of the cannabinoid’s receptor CB1 function may result in anti-compulsive behavior activity, suggesting potential treatment opportunities with cannabinoids in OCD.2
Preclinical research has shown that the cannabinoid CBD may play a role in the treatment of OCD. However, as there is a significant overlap between OCD, anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, and autism spectrum disorders, the cannabinoid THC may possess therapeutic potential. On the contrary, it was also suggested that there is a correlation between cannabinoids and the induction of psychiatric disorders. However, increasing evidence suggests that cannabinoids exhibit positive effects by inhibiting obsessive behavior.3
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Several studies observed that cannabis use is connected to OCD (De Alwis et al., 2014; Bidwell et al., 2014; Loflin et al., 2014).
In mice, obsessive-compulsive behavior was effectively inhibited by CBD (Deiana et al., 2012).
In mice, marble-burying behavior (MBB; behavioral model to evaluate OCD) was suppressed by low doses of anandamide (1-10 μg/mouse) or its analogs (AM404 or URB597; 1-5 μg/mouse), while MBB was increased by high doses of these compounds (40 or 20 μg/mouse) (Umathe et al., 2012).