Magic Mushrooms….The Answer to Depression?
I was having a conversation with a friend of mine on Facebook the other day about depression. He himself was a sufferer and put his experiences in a very thoughtful volume “perfectly rational lunacy: oxymoronic writings“. The long and short of the conversation was basically around how depression is under discussed and often pushed into the background without any real discussion.
Today, I was doing my usual read of the BBC website and discovered a small study about how the hallucinogenic agent in magic mushrooms is being used to alleviate depression. Though the study was particularly small it did show a good deal of promise for patients who are unable to get past their depression.
As a therapist, I of course, favour the idea of using the talking therapies as a means of assisting with psychological conditions including depression. However, we must all be aware, that some forms of depression are resistant to talking therapies as well as other psychological medications. It is essential that research continues in all ways to help those with significant clinical depression.
I urge you all to be able to discuss the subject of depression openly and honestly without fear or shame. These sufferers are our brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers and friends. We owe them this honest dialogue.
