Recent studies have suggested that psilocybin mushrooms, also known as ‘magic mushrooms’, have shown promise in combating anxiety, anorexia, depression, PTSD, obsessive-compulsive disorder and various forms of substance abuse. Photograph: John Moore/Getty Images There has been a resurgence of interest in the use of psychedelics or consciousness altering substances such as psilocybin – the active ingredient in “magic mushrooms” to treat depression.
The American author, journalist and psychedelics advocate Michael Pollan says there has never been a more exciting – or bewildering – time in the world of psychedelics. Take for example, the Psychedelics Science 2023 conference in Denver, Colorado, hosted by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), which attracted 12,000 people.
Everyone from medical doctors and psychotherapists to pharmaceutical companies, self-improvement gurus and individuals seeking spiritual transformation is jumping on the bandwagon. Alongside this is a vibrant subculture of microdosing, or low dose use of psychedelics, which is attracting individuals who want to improve their mood, reduce anxiety and/or boost focus and creativity.
[ ‘It’s a treat’: The rise of magic mushroom microdosing ]
But some doctors, researchers and indeed patients are more cautious about results from small studies which report statistically significant benefits for patients with “treatment resistant” depression or so-called secondary depression, which is linked to a physical disease process such as cancer.
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So, who should we trust? Are there real possibilities for a more considered reappraisal of the 20th century experimental use of psychoactive drugs (including LSD, ketamine and psilocybin) by advocates including the late controversial American psychologist Timothy Leary; the Scottish psychiatrist RD Laing; and the late Irish psychiatrist Ivor Browne ?
A recent systematic review of randomised controlled trials by researchers Athina-Marina Metaxa and Mike Clarke looked at seven trials involving 436 participants with depression. These studies compared psilocybin as a treatment for symptoms of depression with controls such as placebo, niacin (vitamin B) and microdoses of psychedelics – with and without psychotherapy.The researchers concluded that while […]
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