Magic Mushrooms and Mental Health
This may sound an odd combination, but research is now being carried out as to see whether or not the psilocybin which is the magic mushroom compound. Some of you may well be shocked at the idea of using psychedelics in this fashion, however it is not a new thing at all. Indeed more than fifty years ago, there was much use of LSD and other psychedelics within psychotherapy treatment. This was particularly on the West Coast of the United States. Then, as now, these drugs are being looked at as being a way to treat forms of depression and post traumatic stress disorder, when other interventions have little or no effect.
Additionally, researchers are attempting to ascertain whether psilocybin or other psychodelics like mescaline and DMT have the potential to replace the current drug of choice when it comes to depression which are SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) antidepressant, escitalopram,. These studies at Imperial College, London will take place over two years.
Drugs are of course necessary in the fight for good mental health, but I would really like to see NICE of some of the more research orientated universities also look at psychotherapy and how it’s intervention can assist people in overcoming some of their mental trauma. Drugs and psychotherapy need not be adversaries, but rather they should be allies in the war to maintain good mental health.
