How psychedelic drugs could cure mental illnesses

Society

A team of British researchers from Imperial College London is about to launch the first clinical trial testing the effect of hallucinogens on depression and anxiety.

Psychedelic drugs such as LSD, hallucinogenic mushrooms or MDMA are mostly badociated with the world of the night and the hippie movement. Its consumers are looking for the perfect trip, they want to escape from everyday life and live a multi-sensory experience. Yet these drugs, considered dangerous, may one day replace traditional treatments for mental health problems.

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A team of British researchers at Imperial College London is about to launch the first clinical trial to determine whether hallucinogenic drugs are more effective than the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) commonly prescribed by doctors to treat depression and anxiety. Scientists will compare the effects of psilocybin (the main active ingredient of hallucinogenic mushrooms) to those of conventional treatments

A revolutionary potential

" We know that some psychotropic drugs have a revolutionary potential, and we do not do not exaggerate " explains to the BBC Robin Carhart-Harris, in charge of the future study.

In 2017, a study showed that psilocybin has a beneficial effect on people suffering from chronic depression. This molecule helps to "reset" the brain: it acts on the amygdala, in charge of the control of our emotions and on the activity of watch of our brain, also called network of the mode by default (RMD).

Psychotropics Against Self-Destruction

Researchers still do not know how or why psilocybin affects us. The BBC explains that some neuroscientists like Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris think that these drugs would prevent our brain " to remain frozen in a state of rigidity" that leads to self-destructive thoughts.

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A team of Californian fishermen from the National Institute of Health, who also worked on the effects of psychotropic drugs on cases of depression and anxiety, refutes a medical use of those and point to their dangerous nature. Although most psychedelic drugs are not considered addictive at the same level as cocaine, they cause hallucinations. It is therefore unlikely to go so far as to prescribe these drugs to treat depression. " But a derived compound would go very well" the research team pursues its conclusions.