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If The FDA Approves It, 5 Million Depressed Americans Could Benefit From a New Psychedelic Therapy
With millions of people around the world suffering from depression, it’s a seriously worrying condition that affects countless families and societies as a whole.
It’s also still so highly stigmatized, hindering people from seeking help, a proper diagnosis, and treatment. And for those who do get treated, recovery may be futile. That’s because depression is so multifaceted – and it is such a complex condition. There are several social, familial, environmental, and biological factors at play at any given time. In addition, factors such as genetics, trauma, stress, and substance use also play a role.
When it comes to treating depression, responses are highly individual too. A medication and dosage that works well for some, may not work as well for others. Additionally, individuals with co-existing conditions including PTSD and anxiety, or people with specific genetic differences and brain chemistry, will respond differently to pharmaceutical medications. Even those who do respond, may find it takes a long time to work – and antidepression medications are notorious for their harmful side effects.
Enter: Psychedelic Mushrooms For Depression
Over the last few years, psychedelic drugs have become increasingly popular for their ability to effectively manage treatment-resistant mental health disorders including depression. Thanks to a growing acceptance of the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, individuals suffering from depression now have more hope than ever with a safe, natural choice.
And while there are many popular psychedelics to choose from, it’s none other than the psilocybin magic mushrooms which are the most famous of all. It’s also the most well-researched out of all other psychedelics whne it comes to depression, and there is a solid body of research proving its efficacy for treatment-resistant depression.
During a recent study from Emory University, UC Berkeley, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, investigators sought out to better understand the demand for psilocybin therapy focusing on depression in the United States. The researchers analyzed data on the prevalence of depression, which were taken from national polls. From this data, they determined that roughly 5 million Americans would meet the criteria for psilocybin therapy if it were ever to be approved.
“Our findings suggest that if the FDA gives the green light, psilocybin-assisted therapy has the potential to help millions of American who suffer from depression,” explained Syed Fayzan Rab, the study’s lead author and an Emory MD candidate in a press release. “This underscores the importance of understanding the practical realities of rolling out this novel treatment on a large scale,” he said. The figures are also based on the FDA’s inclusion criteria taking into consideration factors such as regional variation, insurance coverage, and variability.
“While our analysis is a crucial first step, we’ve only scratched the surface in understanding the true public health impact psilocybin therapy may have,” explained Charles Raison, one of the study’s collaborators. Raison is also a lead researcher for one of the biggest clinical trials studying psilocybin therapy for depression. “Ultimately, the realizable potential of this treatment rests in the hands of regulatory bodies, policymakers, insurers, and the healthcare community at large,” he added.
“It’s our hope that these findings spur productive discussions and proactive preparations to optimize the benefit to patients while minimizing unintended consequences,” he said.
Why Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy Is Promising
There are many ways one can medicate with psilocybin. Some cosmonauts who already have had previous experience with recreational or spiritual use of psychedelics may feel confident enough to engage in psilocybin therapy through standard dosing or microdosing; there are several well-established protocols that one can utilize to do so safely without supervision of a medical professional.
However, for individuals who suffer from severe and treatment-resistant depression, psilocybin-assisted therapy may be the better route. It involves the administration of psychedelics (in this case, psilocybin mushrooms) under the supervision of a medical professional. Basically, it’s like replacing conventional antidepressant drugs with psilocybin mushrooms; in either case you’d be monitored by your doctor and you can participate in psychotherapy sessions with them while taking the drug.
Psilocybin Even More Effective Than Antidepressants?
Not only is there an increasingly solid body of research proving the efficacy of magic mushrooms, but now the studies also say that they’re safer and more effective than antidepressants. And when you combine it with the fact that it has little to no side effects, who wouldn’t want to take psilocybin magic mushrooms for depression?
A recent study demonstrated just this.
Researchers at the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College in London found that taking magic mushrooms were more successful at treating depression compared to the widely prescribed SSRI antidepressants. For the study, they focused on escitalopram, an SSRI antidepressant, and psilocybin.
“This is important because improving connectedness and having greater meaning in life can significantly enhance a person’s quality of life and long-term mental health,” explained David Erritzoe, the study’s co-first author and a clinical director at the Imperial College in London.
“The study suggests that psilocybin therapy might be a more holistic treatment option for depression, addressing both the symptoms of depression and overall well-being. This could make a substantial difference in the overall happiness and daily activities of those suffering from depression, providing a more joined-up approach to mental health treatment,” Erritzoe added.
The study’s authors also reported that the patients who were in psilocybin therapy reported better outcomes compared to those who were being treated with escitalopram.
Conclusion
There’s no doubt that psilocybin therapy already helps so many people with depression and other mental health conditions – imagine if the FDA approved psilocybin-assisted therapy? We hope this is the kind of medical and regulatory breakthrough we can look forward to in the near future – stay tuned!
PSYCHEDELICS FOR DEPRESSION BEGINS, READ BELOW…
