Improving Cannabidiol Education for Mental Health Providers

Decreased life expectancy in the US is associated with rising prevalence rates of opioid and benzodiazepine abuse in this country (Dowell, Arias, & Kochanek, 2017). The increase of overdose deaths associated with rising rates of opiate and benzodiazepine abuse necessitates alternative and complementary treatments for both pain and anxiety disorders. Cannabidiol (CBD) may have potential future benefit in clinical practice by decreasing use of opiates and benzodiazepines in both disorders (De Filippis et al., 2011). Many providers lack knowledge about the potential use of the supplement despite studies showing positive results using CBD as a treatment in both anxiety and chronic pain (Linge et al., 2016; Mathern, Beninsig & Nehlig, 2015). This project explores the impact of a focused cannabidiol (CBD) educational intervention on mental health providers' confidence level in discussing the supplement with their patients. It also evaluates the frequency of supplement discussions with patients after the intervention. The goal of this project is to improve mental health providers' knowledge of the potential benefits of CBD, the risks involved with CBD use, and the current legal status of the supplement. Two main recruiting pools for participants in this study include mental health providers at a family-based community health clinic and providers in a local networking group for psychiatric nurse practitioners. Comparison of pre- and postintervention questionnaires determined the effectiveness of the intervention. Results demonstrate significant improvement in confidence levels when discussing CBD with patients postintervention. However, the frequency of providers asking patients about supplements did not show a significant increase postintervention. An increase in provider confidence and knowledge about CBD can help improve patient outcomes as providers understand appropriate use of as well as the current legal status of the supplement. Further educational interventions to promote CBD education should be studied to measure the effectiveness of the modality.