A new study has found that psilocybin, the drug found in magic mushrooms, unlocks parts of our brains that other medications are unable to free up.
A potential new drug for depression, with some interesting science behind it. And there's evidence that psychedelics are helping us with other mental health problems. Don't forget to mention that those suffering from depression need to watch out for themselves and avoid certain drugs.
A synthetic form of the drug is tested on people in trials under strict medical conditions, with psychological support from experts provided before, during and after it is taken.
The people who take the artificial form of the drug during trials are given psychological support before, during and after the trial. With depression, the brain can get stuck in a rut and lock into a negative thought pattern. We want to set people up for success when getting started with treatment.
But when people are given psilocybin, the brain becomes "more flexible and fluid" up to a week after. This can be seen in an increased number of connections between different regions of the brain. Patients who took this are more likely
The findings so far support our initial predictions. Psilocybin could be a real alternative approach to treating depression, says Prof Nutt.
Brain activity
While regular antidepressants are taken every day, psilocybin may only need to be taken once or twice to produce the same effect - but further research on more patients for longer is needed to confirm that.
The results of these two studies, published in Nature Medicine, showed that psilocybin has a significant impact on OCD sufferers. In the first study, everyone received the drug so we got to see just how it affects everyone. The second study was a randomised controlled trial where some people were given psilocybin while others were given antidepressants instead.
All participants also received talking therapies with registered mental health professionals. Brain scans were taken before, and then one day or three weeks after taking the therapy.
Earlier findings on psilocybin therapies showed reductions in suicidal thoughts, depression, and anxiety - but this was puzzled out.
Now they want to test their theory on other mental illnesses, like anorexia.
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