Trial reportDepression and anxiety2020
Acute effects of cannabinoids on symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder: A human laboratory study.
Trial report in Depression and anxiety, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 76 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Effectiveness and Safety of Cannabidiol in Non-seizure-related Indications: A Systematic Review of Published Randomized Clinical Trials.Pharmaceutical medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Evaluating cannabidiol (CBD) expectancy effects on acute stress and anxiety in healthy adults: a randomized crossover study.Psychopharmacology · 2021Trial
- Adverse events associated with medical cannabis reported within a centralized call center.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Article
- Randomised Controlled Trial Evidence on Medicinal Cannabis for Treatment of Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders: A Scoping Review.Clinical drug investigation · 2026Article
- Exploring the Link: Marijuana Use Patterns and Their Impact on Coronary Heart Disease Risk.Clinical cardiology · 2025Article
- Parasympathetic decreases immediately following self-reported cannabis smoking among adults living with cannabis use disorder.International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology · 2025Article
- Psychopathological Implications of Behavioral Patterns in Obsessive-Compulsive Rituals: A Hierarchical Analysis.Brain sciences · 2025Article
- New Agents in the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders: What Innovations and in What Areas of Psychopathology?Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Anandamide Attenuates Neurobehavioral Deficits and EEG Irregularities in the Chronic Sleep Deprivation Rats: The Role of Oxidative Stress and Neuroinflammation.Neurochemical research · 2024Article
- Cannabinoids in the Treatment of Selected Mental Illnesses: Practical Approach and Overview of the Literature.Pharmacopsychiatry · 2024Review
- Selective alterations of endocannabinoid system genes expression in obsessive compulsive disorder.Translational psychiatry · 2024Article
- Role of Cannabinoid Signaling in Cardiovascular Function and Ischemic Injury.The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics · 2023Review
- Cannabis-induced obsessive-compulsive disorder: Is it a paradox?Indian journal of psychiatry · 2023Article
- Genetic influences on the interplay between obsessive-compulsive behavior symptoms and cannabis use during adolescence.Journal of adolescence · 2023Article
- How do phytocannabinoids affect cardiovascular health? An update on the most common cardiovascular diseases.Therapeutic advances in chronic disease · 2023Review
- Use of Selective Alternative Therapies for Treatment of OCD.Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment · 2023Review
- Medicinal Cannabis and Central Nervous System Disorders.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2022Review
- Article
- Possible actions of cannabidiol in obsessive-compulsive disorder by targeting the WNT/β-catenin pathway.Molecular psychiatry · 2022Review
- Patterns of Cannabis Use Among Individuals with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Results from an Internet Survey.Journal of obsessive-compulsive and related disorders · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPreclinical data implicate the endocannabinoid system in the pathology underlying obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), while survey data have linked OCD symptoms to increased cannabis use. Cannabis products are increasingly marketed as treatments for anxiety and other OCD-related symptoms. Yet, few studies have tested the acute effects of cannabis on psychiatric symptoms in humans.
methodsWe recruited 14 adults with OCD and prior experience using cannabis to enter a randomized, placebo-controlled, human laboratory study to compare the effects on OCD symptoms of cannabis containing varying concentrations of Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) on OCD symptoms to placebo. We used a within-subjects design to increase statistical power. Across three laboratory sessions, participants smoked three cannabis varietals in random order: placebo (0% THC/0% CBD); THC (7.0% THC/0.18% CBD); and CBD (0.4% THC/10.4% CBD). We analyzed acute changes in OCD symptoms, state anxiety, cardiovascular measures, and drug-related effects (e.g., euphoria) as a function of varietal.
resultsTwelve participants completed the study. THC increased heart rate, blood pressure, and intoxication compared with CBD and placebo. Self-reported OCD symptoms and anxiety decreased over time in all three conditions. Although OCD symptoms did not vary as a function of cannabis varietal, state anxiety was significantly lower immediately after placebo administration relative to both THC and CBD.
conclusionsThis is the first placebo-controlled investigation of cannabis in adults with OCD. The data suggest that smoked cannabis, whether containing primarily THC or CBD, has little acute impact on OCD symptoms and yields smaller reductions in anxiety compared to placebo.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.