A Review of Human Studies Assessing the Efficacy of Cannabidiol for Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders are the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders worldwide, and their prevalence continues to rise, leading to significant social and economic burdens. Recent interest has focused on CBD as a potential treatment. This systematic review assesses the current evidence on the efficacy of CBD in treating anxiety and related disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Unlike open-label trials prone to placebo bias, this study reviews randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. A review of literature was conducted using the Google Scholar database to gather information on "cannabidiol," specifically focusing on its relationship with "anxiety," "social anxiety disorder", "post-traumatic stress disorder” and ,,human trials." Positive outcomes were observed with 300 mg CBD doses, reducing anxiety in SAD patients, tremor in Parkinson’s disease, and anxiety in ASD and opioid-dependent individuals. Minimal improvements were noted in PTSD patients with sexual trauma. Further research is needed to clarify CBD’s therapeutic potential in diverse clinical contexts.