Medical Cannabis for Treatment Resistant Combat PTSD

Course overview

Course Description: This course is based on material published in Frontiers in Psychiatry and is available as an open-access article. Targeting the endocannabinoid system may have a role in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, few studies have examined the effectiveness of cannabis on symptoms of PTSD, and more research is needed to ascertain cannabis effectiveness. In this retrospective naturalistic study, we followed 14 relatively mature (32-68 years of age), treatment-resistant, chronic combat post-traumatic patients who remained severely symptomatic despite treatment with many lines of conventional treatment prior to receiving medicinal cannabis. Our findings show that total sleep score, subjective sleep quality, and sleep duration significantly improved (p less than 0.01). Total PTSD symptom score and its subdomains (intrusiveness, avoidance, and alertness) showed improvement (p less than 0.05). However, there was no improvement in the frequency of nightmares (p equals 0.27). The mean follow-up time was 1.1 plus or minus 0.8 years (range of 0.5 to 3 years). This course on medical cannabis as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder is designed for social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, nurses, and substance abuse counselors who do clinical work. In addition, this course is appropriate for intermediate and advanced-level practitioners who wish to develop their knowledge of medical cannabis as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. The course material includes a literature review of interventions and research. It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require continuing clinical education courses for license renewal. The course is based on a journal article that includes research. It contains statistical analysis and data that some clinicians enjoy reading, and others do not. A significant benefit of reading research-based articles for continuing education is they provide practitioners with the latest findings in their field. Authors: Nacasch, Avni, Toren Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding medical cannabis as a treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. Specifically, a professional will: Identify biological mechanisms of the endocannabinoid system. Recognize the effects of posttraumatic stress disorder on sleep quality. Describe the effects of cannabis on managing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. Citation: Nacasch, N., Avni, C., & Toren, P. (2023). Medical cannabis for treatment-resistant combat PTSD. Frontiers in psychiatry, 13, 1014630. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1014630