What to Know About CBD and Depression Amanda Gardner Replay Video Does CBD work for depression? Anxiety is one of the top reasons people say they use cannabidiol (CBD), so it makes sense that many people consider trying it for anxiety's frequent companion: depression. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 17.3 million U.S. adults had one or more major depressive episodes in 2017, making it one of the most common mental health conditions in the country. "Anecdotally, you hear it very frequently that depression is one of the reasons to use CBD," says Martin A. Lee, co-founder and director of Project CBD and author of