Mental Health | +70 articles

[mr peabody]

Could psychedelics help to heal the crisis of disconnection?

by Sam Gandy, Rosalind Watts & Alex Evans

We urgently need tools that can facilitate connection and foster a common sense of purpose for protecting and restoring our world.

Disconnection, in a broad sense, may be the root of a number of our civilisation’s major ills.

Unless this disconnection - to self, self with others, and the natural world - is addressed, the future of our species on this planet is likely in jeopardy.

It's widely considered that we have entered the sixth mass extinction of life on this planet, due entirely to human actions on the biosphere. The publication of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) report in May of this year makes for grim reading. Complied by 145 expert authors from 50 countries assessing changes over the past 50 years, the assessment found that nature is declining at rates unprecedented in human history, with ecological degradation and rates of species extinctions accelerating, with over a million species now threatened with extinction.

This has dire implications for the biosphere at large, as well as the survival of our species, with fundamental, transformative change from local to global scales now essential to reverse this dire trend.

Interestingly, the only areas not undergoing ecological degradation were those inhabited and managed by indigenous people, and in fact such areas may even harbour greater biodiversity than protected areas. One common thread linking indigenous groups all over the world is that they tend to be very strongly connected to nature and highly protective of their surrounding environment.

When this connection to nature is very high, people often view their surrounding environment as an extension of themselves, which increases the desire to protect it. We have lost this connection as a side effect of our materialistic, technological civilisation, and the ecologically protective intuition that stems from it. Indigenous groups also tend to have a much stronger community connectedness, with more of a group centered existence, living less individualistic, egoic lives than us in the Western world. This stands in contrast to the idea of the ‘separate self’ which has become central to Western societies over the past five centuries, from the Enlightenment’s emphasis on rigid lines between mind and matter, or humans and nature, all the way through to contemporary trends such as consumerism, falling social capital and status anxiety.

Our disconnection from nature seems to have begun once we transitioned from hunter gatherers to farmers, which fundamentally changed the way our species perceived and interacted with the natural world. The existence of certain species and groups of people were valued over the existence of others, and nature was a resource to be tamed and controlled. Our domestication of plant and animal species was two way, and this process sowed the seeds of the civilisation we know today. For the first time we started in living in larger and increasingly urban population centres, which has acted to disconnect us from nature further. The most recent wake of nature disconnection seems to be being fuelled by our increasing technological dependency, with our growing screen addictions rendering us prisoners of the paradox that the more we watch, the less we see of the world around us.

If a growing disconnection from nature is fuelling the ecological crisis, a growing interpersonal disconnection and disconnection from core self is fuelling the mental health crisis. A sense of disconnection is linked to poor mental health, including depression, with a sense of connection or connectedness being linked to psychological well-being, and recovery of mental health. One small but noteworthy study exploring the effectiveness of psilocybin therapy for the treatment of major depression found that 85% responded to varying degrees, and an enhanced sense of connectedness was commonly reported by those whose symptoms improved, with depression frequently tied to feelings of disconnection. Feelings of disconnection have also been associated with use of SSRI antidepressants, which are commonly prescribed for depression sufferers. In another study, it was found that 94% of these people reported a new sense of connection to the world around them, with an increased connection to others noted up to a year later. Interestingly, a deeper ‘connection to self' was also frequently reported. This does not imply a connection to ‘ego self’, but rather a sense of expanded connection linked to people’s ‘true self’, tied to one’s emotions and intuition, and guided by an inner sense of meaning, purpose, empathy and compassion.

In the qualitative follow-up, participants offered these reports:

“Like Google Earth, I had zoomed out … I was absolutely connected to myself, to every living thing, to the Universe.”

“This connection, it’s just a lovely feeling…this sense of connectedness, we are all interconnected."

Research has already shown that experience with psychedelics strongly predicts an increased connection to, or self-identification with nature, with self-reported engagement with pro-environmental behaviours stemming from this. Albert Hofmann, the scientist who first synthesised LSD in 1938, came to view the capacity of psychedelics to reconnect humans with nature as perhaps their most important and fundamental property. Shortly before his death, at the mighty age of 101, he said that:

“Alienation from nature and the loss of the experience of being part of the living creation is the greatest tragedy of our materialistic era. It is the causative reason for ecological devastation and climate change. Therefore I attribute absolute highest importance to consciousness change. I regard psychedelics as catalysers for this.”

Psychedelics can unlock a newfound appreciation of nature, a profound sense of being part of a much larger whole and of a magnificent interconnected web of life – something that has been described again and again in experience reports, research surveys, experimental studies and historical accounts of early psychedelic experiences. In this respect, psychedelics can be considered as biophilia enhancing agents. Biophilia, a term coined by biologist E. O. Wilson, refers to our innate fondness for nature, or “the connections that human beings subconsciously seek with the rest of life.” Our species has spent 99.99% of its existence living in natural environments, for which our physiology and psychology is adapted. In a recent survey of 150 psychedelic users, all reported that biophilia was enhanced.

Psychedelics are not required to increase feelings of nature connection, the physical sensory experience of being in nature alone is sufficient to enhance it. However not everyone is fortunate enough to have grown up with access to nature, and without childhood contact with nature, a connection may be lacking. It seems that the power of psychedelics may be to increase nature connection in people who are highly disconnected from it, and so play a role in converting ‘nature sceptics'. An increased acknowledgement of nature has also been implicated in fostering connectedness in a broader sense, including to people, nature and life as a whole.

There is a significant body of research literature to show that high ratings of nature connection are strongly correlated with reduced levels of anxiety, greater happiness and positive affect, life meaning and vitality, and improved psychological well-being, and that degree of nature connection also mediates some of the benefits one gains from spending time in nature. Nature connection is also considered a strong predictor of pro-environmental behaviours, outperforming all other tested variables as a single construct. It seems that an emotional, empathic connection to nature is needed to motivate behavioural change, and that concern arises as a side effect of this deepening connection.

The breakdown of communities and the associated disconnection and loneliness that follows in its wake is considered a major health issue, worse than smoking and on par with obesity. Depression is on the rise, considered by the World Health Organisation as the leading cause of disability worldwide. It seems that, in part, rising depression and suicide rates are symptomatic of a sick society. Growing disconnection, and its associated individualism appears to also be playing out in the global political sphere, with increasing disconnection catalysing greater division, evidenced by a tendency toward tribalism and polarisation of global politics.

Global politics appear to be becoming increasingly ‘triggered’, with growing anxiety cultivating a widespread, polarising ‘us-and-them’ mentality. This in turn creates opportunities for political populists and authoritarian leaders to take power through wielding a combination of psychology, technology and communications. As a result of disconnection and the division that it fosters, leaders may be more inclined to gain votes by making promises to build physical walls between people rather than bridges. This growing political polarisation should be of grave concern, and has led many analysts to become increasingly concerned about the breakdown of common ground and capacity for societies to feel a shared sense of purpose and identity. This division prevents us from effectively responding to some of the toughest and most urgent challenges that humans must face, including global climatic change and accelerating ecological destruction. The only hope we have at solving issues on this scale is for societies to come together with a more cohesive and strongly shared sense of purpose.

Psychedelics can be considered agents of connection. At the level of the neuron, they increase synaptic and neurite connections. At the level of the brain, they increase global connectivity, facilitating communication between different brain regions. They facilitate increased connection of the self, and self with others, and they can enhance our connection to nature and the world at large. Their ability to enhance connectedness may be linked to their effects on the ego, or our sense of subjective self-identity. An overly ‘rigid’ ego may play a major role in both depression and nature disconnection, with egoic separateness walling us off in private prisons and disconnecting us from our core selves, other people and the world around us, narrowing our perspective. Under a high dose of a psychedelic such as psilocybin, a brain network called the default mode network, which is a fundamental component of the neural basis of the ego, is relaxed and deactivated. The deepened connection people describe may stem from the unitive states that are made accessible by this blurring of boundaries that ego dissolution facilitates. This appears to be the mechanism through which perceived boundaries between self and other dissolve, catalysing an expanded perspective of self-nature overlap. The deepened connection to nature people describe post psychedelic experience also appears to be an enduring perspective shift, lasting at least a year.

Contemporary scientific research is highlighting the capacity of psychedelics to facilitate connection between people, and the environment they are a part of. As humanity faces a deepening ecological crisis, we urgently need tools that can facilitate connection, foster empathy and a shared sense of common purpose for protecting and restoring our world, while allowing us to identify with a ‘larger us’…one that includes all the world’s people, other species and generations as yet unborn. This is similar to the view commonly ascribed to the profound cognitive shift known as the ‘overview effect’ described by astronauts viewing the Earth from space. It may be that psychedelics provide an alternative but more accessible and egalitarian route to a similar transformative vantage point. What if rather than vilifying these compounds, we held them in the same high regard as some indigenous groups do? How different might our global future look if that were the case?

One of the reasons for the success of our species is our ability to identify with and cooperate at ever-larger collectives and scales of complexity: from Neolithic tribes to chiefdoms, from city-states to kingdoms, from nation-states to global diasporas and, just 50 years ago, the first photograph of Earth snapped from space by NASA astronaut Bill Anders.

However, as we become a more global society, local communities are surrendering their identity and resources to the larger unit. A crisis of economic extraction is a factor here; 84 % of global ‘stock’ is now held by the wealthiest 10%. Bennet A Zellner’s work on ‘inclusive economic development’ describes how as in nature, healthy economic systems support an interdependent web, whereas unhealthy systems focus on extraction. He describes how a promising alternative model, the ‘pollinator’ approach, seeks to heal community systems by renewing and recirculating resources locally. In the future, psychedelic healthcare could adopt the pollinator model, with healthcare hubs like thriving beehives which nurture and rejuvenate the local ecosystem. Psychedelics offer promise as a treatment for depression, addiction, existential anxiety in those with a terminal illness diagnosis, and the evidence base is rapidly increasing. The psychedelic treatment centres of the future could be part of a new paradigm of community-based wellness. For this, we have much to learn from some indigenous groups.

At this moment, humanity appears poised between breakdown and breakthrough. A breakdown scenario would see us fragment into small groups as a primary consequence of our growing disconnection and political division, with potentially catastrophic results given the severity of the challenges we face at a global scale. Our only hope in facing these challenges would be through a breakthrough, which would see humanity jump to a much higher level of coherence and interconnection, and one essential if planetary level problems are to be addressed…much as evolution saw the emergence of novel complex systems, from cells to organs, and neurons to brains. The key variable that will tip the balance between these two scenarios is psychological, hinging on how we see ourselves and each other, whether we feel connected or threatened, and the size of the collective with which we identify. The solutions to the issues we face may reside in re-establishing our lost connection to the natural world, and each other, the ultimate source of our collective well-being.

Could Psychedelics Help to Heal the Crisis of Disconnection? - Emerge

We urgently need tools that can facilitate connection and foster a common sense of purpose for protecting and restoring our world.

www.whatisemerging.com

 

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Psychedelics can be used to help treat a variety of psychiatric disorders*

by Chris Moore | Sep 20 2019

A new scientific review published in this month's Journal of Psychiatric Practice reported that psychedelics have successfully been used to reduce symptoms linked to at least eight different psychiatric disorders. And since today is National Psilocybin Mushroom Day, we figured there was no better time to break down this news for you.

Researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio reviewed sixteen previously-published studies exploring whether psychedelic drugs could help treat a variety of disorders. These original studies, published between 1946 and 2017, examined the effects of ibogaine, ketamine, LSD, MDMA, psilocybin, ayahuasca, and other drugs on patients suffering from conditions like depression, substance use disorders, and PTSD.

“The conditions treated ranged from depression to autism, with the largest volume of research dedicated to substance use disorders,” the researchers wrote. “The majority of studies that were reviewed demonstrated significant associations with improvement in the conditions investigated.”

Out of the 16 studies reviewed, 15 found that psychedelic-based therapy “produced clinically significant reduction in” symptoms of psychiatric disorders.

Specifically, the review noted two studies that found that ayahuasca helped reduce the symptoms of treatment resistant depression, and another study which found that MDMA-assisted therapy helped patients deal with PTSD associated with sexual trauma. Several other studies found that ibogaine, ketamine, LSD, and dipropyltryptamine (a synthetic psychedelic known as DPT or “The Light”) all showed evidence of helping patients struggling with substance use disorder remain sober.

The researchers explained that many of these studies were flawed, due to small subject size or lack of control groups, making it “difficult to draw definite conclusions” about the research. However, the study concluded that “this body of pilot literature suggests the possibility of therapeutic benefit that could outweigh adverse events and warrants more rigorous, definitive investigation.”

“Despite promising findings in therapeutic psychedelic trials, current factors, including funding, laws, and stigma, continue to impose limitations on further research,” the review concluded. “Schedule I classification makes study development difficult, costly, and prolonged. Funding by both government and pharmaceutical companies is nonexistent.”

Despite the ongoing federal prohibition of these drugs, research into their therapeutic potential has been booming in recent years. Both MDMA and psilocybin have been granted “breakthrough therapy” status by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), allowing researchers to conduct federally-approved research on these drugs. Based on the success of these trials, both of these psychedelics could gain federal approval to be used under medical supervision within years. Ketamine, once known as party drug “Special K,” has already been approved by the FDA to help treat serious depression.

The University of Texas review notes that around 40 million Americans, or 15.3 percent of the country's population, have used psychedelics, according to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. That number may well be growing, as Denver and Oakland have both decriminalized psilocybin and other psychedelics, and other cities and states are working to do the same.

*From the article here :

Psychedelics Can Help Treat a Variety of Psychiatric Disorders, New Review Says

The scientific report also states that as of 2015, 40 million Americans — or 15.3 percent of the country's population — have used psychedelics at least once.

merryjane.com

 

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Inside the centre exploring the effects of psychedelic drugs on mental health

by Benedict Carey | The Independent | 23 Sep 2019

Since childhood, Rachael Petersen had lived with an unexplainable sense of grief that no drug or talk therapy could entirely ease. So in 2017 she volunteered for a small clinical trial at Johns Hopkins University that was testing psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, for chronic depression.

“I was so depressed,” Petersen, 29, recalls. “I felt that the world had abandoned me, that I’d lost the right to exist on this planet. Really, it was like my thoughts were so stuck, I felt isolated.”

The prospect of tripping for hours on a heavy dose of psychedelics was scary, she says, but the reality was profoundly different: “I experienced this kind of unity, of resonant love, the sense that I’m not alone anymore, that there was this thing holding me that was bigger than my grief. I felt welcomed back to the world.”

Earlier this month, Johns Hopkins Medicine introduced the Centre for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, to study compounds like LSD and psilocybin for mental health problems, including anorexia, addiction and depression. The centre is the first of its kind in the country, established with $17m (£14m) in commitments from wealthy private donors and a foundation. Imperial College London created what is thought to be the world’s first such centre in April, with some $4m from private sources.

“This is an exciting initiative that brings new focus to efforts to learn about mind, brain and psychiatric disorders by studying the effects of psychedelic drugs,” Dr John Krystal, chair of psychiatry at Yale University, says about the Johns Hopkins centre.

The centres at Johns Hopkins and Imperial College give “psychedelic medicine”, as some call it, a long-sought foothold in the scientific establishment. Since the early 2000s, several scientists have been exploring the potential of psychedelics and other recreational drugs for psychiatric problems, and their early reports have been tantalizing enough to generate a stream of positive headlines and at least two popular books. The emergence of depression treatment with the anaesthetic and club drug ketamine and related compounds, which cause out-of-body sensations, also has piqued interest in mind-altering agents as aids to therapy.

But the drugs’ history of abuse and the still-thin evidence base have kept the field largely on the fringes, and many experts are still wary. Psychedelic trials cannot be “blinded” in the same way most drug trials are: participants know when they have been dosed, and reports of improvement are not yet standardised.

“It raises the caution that the investigation of hallucinogens as treatments may be endangered by grandiose descriptions of their effects and unquestioning acceptance of their value,” Dr Guy Goodwin, a professor of psychiatry at Oxford, wrote in a recent commentary in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.

The scientists doing the work, at Hopkins, Imperial College and elsewhere, acknowledge as much and say the new funding will help clarify which drugs help which patients, and when the altered states are ineffectual or potentially dangerous.

“It’s been hand to mouth in this field, and now we have the core funding and infrastructure to really advance psychedelic science in a way that hasn’t been done before,” says Roland Griffiths, a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins who will direct the new centre. Griffiths says the new funds would cover six full-time faculty members, five postdoctoral scientists and the costs of running trials. Among the first of those trials are a test of psilocybin for anorexia nervosa and of psilocybin for psychological distress and cognitive impairment in early Alzheimer’s disease.

“The one that’s crying out to be done is for opiate-use disorder, and we also plan to look at that,” Griffiths says.

Trials using psychedelics or other mind-altering drugs tend to have a similar structure. Participants, whether they have a diagnosis of PTSD, depression or substance abuse, do extensive preparation with a therapist, which includes a complete medical history and advice and information about the study drug. People with a history of psychosis are typically excluded, as psychedelics can exacerbate their condition. And those on psychiatric medications usually taper off beforehand.

On treatment day, the person comes into the clinic, takes the drug and sits or lies down, under continuous observation by a therapist, who provides support and occasional guidance as the drug’s effects become felt. In the Johns Hopkins trial that Petersen joined, participants wore eyeshades and headphones, lay down and listened to music.

“The first trip lasted 6½ hours, and I didn’t move,” she recalls. A week later, she returned for another dose; each dose was about twice what recreational users take. Therapy using psychedelics or other mind-altering compounds typically involves just one or two sessions on the drug.

“I would be lying if I said aspects of my experience weren’t deeply challenging and upsetting,” Petersen says. “The therapist would grab my hand – would save me in a moment – and encourage me to adopt a posture of welcoming everything, like a meditation.”

The literature so far, from trials like these, suggests that psilocybin is promising for chronic depression and addiction, and that MDMA, or ecstasy, can help people with post-traumatic stress. Cannabis and LSD also have been tried, for addiction and other problems, with mixed results.

One finding many drug studies share is that any positive effects are far more likely to last if the participant has an especially intense trip. The intensity is graded using a variety of measures, including what scientists call the MEQ, for “mystical experience, questionnaire,” although Griffiths allows that the term is misleading.

“That was a significant branding mistake because awe is not fun,” he says. “There’s something existentially shaking about these experiences.”

It is that existential reckoning, the theory goes, that prompts many people to rejigger their identities or priorities in a way that reduces habitual behaviours or lines of thinking that cause distress.

In a continuing trial, Matthew Johnson, an addiction specialist at Johns Hopkins and a member of the new psychedelic centre, is investigating how psilocybin treatment compares with use of a nicotine patch in helping people to quit smoking. So far, in the 39 people who have been in the study for at least six months, the abstinence rate in the psilocybin group is 50 per cent, compared with 32 per cent using the patch.

“The most compelling thing that makes psilocybin different from other addiction drugs is that it’s showing this cross-drug efficacy,” Johnson says. “It appears to have a similar effect, regardless of what drug the person is addicted to.”

That great potential, across many different diagnoses, is what attracted a small group of donors to Johns Hopkins, said Tim Ferriss, who brought in half the donated amount from investors, including more than $2m from himself. Ferriss, an investor and author, says that depression and addiction ran in his own family and that available treatments were often inadequate. His investment in the centre, he says, “was a chance to have a large output from a small input – a real Archimedes lever.” The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation provided the balance of the commitments.

Petersen is convinced that her psilocybin trip made a lasting difference. She's had one relapse since the trial, she says, and continues on antidepressants. As a result of the trial, she also reordered her life, committing more time to things that are emotionally sustaining and letting go of those there weren’t.

“I think that trial was the single most effective thing I’ve done to manage my mental health, and I tried almost everything,” she says. “It leads me to believe that we need to radically change how we think about mental health.”

Inside the centre exploring psychedelic drugs’ effect on mental health

With $17m from donors, the facility aims to give ‘psychedelic medicine’ a long-sought foothold in the scientific establishment, discovers Benedict Carey

www.independent.co.uk

 

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Ketamine infusion therapy: A promising way to treat mental illness

by Rachel Ausman | News 8000 | Oct 08 2019

1 in every 6 adults will have depression at some point in their life, affecting nearly 16 million Americans every year. That's according to the CDC. But a new business in Winona is offering alternative ways to beat these statistics.

Ketamine infusion is available at Bloom Neurotherapy in Winona. A business that feeds ketamine through an IV, helping people with medication-resistant depression, PTSD, anxiety and suicidality.

Ketamine has been used for decades as a clinical anesthetic, and was even used in the Vietnam War -although people most often understand ketamine as a party drug called "Special K".

As research continues to unfold about ketamine and it's effect on the brain and body, professionals are finding significant benefits with ketamine and mental health. Giving patients immediate and effective results.

Co-owner of Bloom Neurotherapy, CRNA, and Anesthetist for 18 years, Beth Maki says, "Current research shows that if you can give those first six infusions within 14 days, 71% of people will enter remission from their mental health issues."

It typically takes 6-weeks for an anti-depressant prescription to feel these effects.

In addition to the physical effects of ketamine, Maki describes the infusion treatment as giving patients a light, floaty feeling.

"It kind of takes you out of your body. Ketamine is considered a dissociative anesthetic, which means that it dissociates you from your normal, everyday reality. It kind of helps you shed the ego. It gives you a chance to look at your life from a new perspective and maybe come up with new solutions to your old problems that you've always had," says Maki.

Once a client enters into remission, they are set up with a 'Mood Monitor' app on their phones. The app asks the patient a question every day, plotting the answers on a graph, logging the effectiveness of treatment.

Bloom Neurotherapy's treatments are currently not covered by insurance. To qualify for the treatment, clients must have a written diagnosis, and they must have tried at least two medications already.

Ketamine infusion therapy: A promising way to treat mental illness

1 in every 6 adults will have depression at some point in their life, affecting nearly 16 million Americans every year. That's according to the CDC. But a new business in Winona is offering alternative ways to beat these statistics.

www.news8000.com

 

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Are psychedelics the answer to chronic mental health issues?*

by Alberto Kanost | Sep 19 2019

Magic mushrooms, most popularly characterized as a drug that causes users to tune out, are being found to have the ability to help people tune in to their own psyches and overcome barriers.

After years of re-establishing the groundwork in the research of psychedelics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine opened The Center for Psychedelic & Consciousness Research to test the effectiveness of magic mushrooms and other psychedelic drugs to treat mental illness and addiction.

According to the author and journalist, Micheal Pollan psychedelics were made illegal in the 1970s after a frenzy of bad media coverage, tying them to counter-culture and the hippie movement.

It took more than 30 years before research into their possible medicinal applications caused them to began to emerge again.

Pharmacological research happens in four phases, the first phase being the “safety study,” where the drug is exposed to volunteers and its risks are evaluated. A safety study for psilocybin, the active ingredient in mushrooms, was conducted at UW-Madison, where they determined that psilocybin was safe enough to advance into later phases of research.

Dr. Toby Campbell, an end-of-life cancer doctor at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, works with people who are anxious and depressed about dying, as well as have significant fatal illnesses. He was one of the doctors who oversaw the more recent psilocybin study. Campbell believes that these drugs could seriously help aide those at the end of their lives remedy their fear of death.

“Its all just a bunch of nerd stuff at this point,” Campbell said. “But psilocybin really seems to help people.”

Campbell went on to say that "since the drug isn't FDA-approved yet, this research could get shut down in an instant — advising that for numerous reasons, the research needs to be extremely careful and thoughtful."

The room in the UW School of Pharmacy where the psilocybin study was conducted in is modeled after the room where they dose patients at the CPCR at Johns Hopkins University. This speaks to what Campbell described as “coordination with Johns Hopkins.”

Roland Griffiths, director of the CPCR, neuroscientist and professor of behavioral biology has been conducting research on mood-altering drugs for 40 years.

After serious endeavors in meditating, he became extremely interested in the “nature of spiritualism.” This led him to reacquaint himself with research that had gone on in the 1950s and ‘60s that showed how hallucinogens like psilocybin could give “mystical experiences” much like those reported from intense and methodical meditation sessions.

Before the center opened, Griffiths and some of his colleagues sought and ultimately gained approval to administer psilocybin to people who never experienced the drug. This is what began the Johns Hopkins Psilocybin Research Project involving 245 participants in over 600 sessions.

The sessions were held in a living room-like environment where participants took a capsule containing psilocybin, laid on a couch, were encouraged to use an eye mask and to “look inward.” If fear or anxiety arrives, trained human monitors were there to direct and provide assurances.

Most volunteers reported experiencing “a feeling of unity, that people and all things are connected, a sense of sacredness, joy, love and a deep sense of encountering an ultimate reality,” Griffiths said in a TED Talk from 2016.

Continued research of the Johns Hopkins Psilocybin Project studied psychologically-distressed cancer patients, who Campbell is the most interested in with regard to administering psilocybin.

The study conducted on cancer patients consisted of administering two groups of patients — one group receiving a low dose, and the other a high dose.

Results collected five weeks after the “trip” showed that 32 percent of patients who were given the low dose experienced clinically significant improvement from a depressed mood, compared to 92 percent of patients who were given a high dose. The researchers again surveyed the high dose patients six months after their “trip,” finding that 80 percent had sustained their clinically significant improvement in mood.

Griffiths outlined the meaning of this in his TED Talk, saying that not only do high doses of these drugs have implications with improving the mood of patients grappling with the imminent idea of their death, but also that the effects are long-lasting. These results are similar to that of studies on anxiety using the same drugs.

“I think that the trial was the single most effective thing I’ve done to manage my mental health, and I had tried almost everything,” said Rachel Peterson, a participant in a recent psilocybin trial at Johns Hopkins University.

According to Griffiths, these effects are unprecedented in the field of psychiatry. He went on to mention that psilocybin also has greater efficacy in helping cigarette smokers quit than any available options for those seeking to quit.

“Research is showing that under supported conditions psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences associated with enduring positive changes in attitudes, mood, and behavior,” Griffiths said concluding his presentation at TEDMED, the annual conference focusing on health and medicine.

Now after $17 million dollars in private funding, The Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness research has opened, giving a foothold to this revived science.

“My initial impression is that these compounds can be helpful, and there is no problem in studying and researching psilocybin,” Campbell said. “I am extremely supportive...and on-board with the work going on at Johns Hopkins.”

*From the article here :

Could psychedelics be the answer to chronic mental health issues?

Doctors, neuroscientists and psychologists alike at major research universities are allocating resources to solidify the science behind using psychedelics — particularly magic mushrooms — as treatments for chronic depression, anxiety, PTSD, addiction and end-of-life distress.

www.dailycardinal.com

 

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How psilocybin treats mental health disorders naturally*

by Încrosnatu Dănuț | Sociedelic | Sep 1 2019

Psilocybin has been decriminalized this year, 39 years after it was banned in 1970.

Various treatments are available to combat depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, and PTSD. This change has drawn attention to psychedelic therapies being a promise to fight mental illnesses in the USA and Australia.

The number of people diagnosed with mental health problems has dramatically increased in the past five years. Depression and anxiety have become very common in adults. In the next 10 years, demand for psychiatrists is going to triple.

If we go by evidence, controlled portions of psychedelic therapy under trained professionals could help people with mental disorders without any side effects. In fact, with psychedelic treatments, one can even prevent a relapse of psychological problems.

Researchers are now trying to find more pieces of evidence and update what we know about psilocybin for depression. Before being classified Schedule I, psilocybin was widely researched in the 1960s and used in specific mental disorder treatments.

What psychedelic drugs do

Let us tell you what psychedelic drugs are within the context of modern science.

Psychedelic psychotherapy is a type of mental illness treatment where a small quantity of psychedelic drugs is used in a highly regulated clinical setting. Some of the essential psychedelic drugs include psilocybin, MDMA (ecstasy drugs), and LSD. These are not illegal, sold behind the scenes drugs. They are, in fact, pharmaceutical graded and have to be taken as per the prescribed dosage.

Magic mushrooms are used as a natural treatment for depression by some indigenous communities for over 1000 years. MDMA and LSD, however, were synthesized in different pharmaceutical labs in the early 20th century.

In the 1950s, magic mushrooms and other psychedelic drugs were tagged as the ‘wonder drugs’ for treating a variety of mental disorders, including end-of-life anxiety, alcohol dependence, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

However, in the 1960s, the drug escaped the clinical sphere and landed among the teenagers. After this incident, followed by a lot of political issues, the drug was banned in 1971.

In the medical field once again

The recent shift in politics and people’s attitude has helped psychedelic drugs to once again gain access to the medical realm. While medical research started yet another time to find Magic Mushrooms’ effectiveness in treating depression.

Meanwhile, the John Hopkins School of Medicine researches showed a positive change in people’s personalities. Such as openness and sociability after they were injected a controlled amount of the drug.

The effects of the drugs were harnessed to reduce depression and anxiety in people with terminal diseases.

After this research, in the following six years, many other significant studies were made on the drug. Few trials disclosed its significance in improving quality of life, while another breakthrough study showed that psilocybin-based psychotherapy effectively treated depression.

Researchers have not stopped with this. Phase 3 trials are in the planning stage. If the drugs are found to be effective in these trails, MDMA and psilocybin will soon become a legal drug, within the next five years.

Certain studies also reveal that psilocybin can be used in treating alcohol and nicotine-addicted patients.

How psychedelic mushrooms work

Magic Mushrooms and other psychedelic drugs produce a mystical state in the minds of people suffering from anxiety and chronic depression, thereby improving their quality of life.

Psilocybin controls the actions of the neural circuit in your brain, which is commonly referred to as the Default Mode Network (DMN).

The DMN defines our resting state, which often becomes distorted when depression and other mental illnesses gain precedence. Psychedelics decrease the activities of DMN temporarily to establish different neural pathways.

Establishing other neural connections reduce our persistent thoughts often characterized by depression. It promotes the creation of new ideas and perspectives about individuals’ personal lives and relationships. It is also found that psychedelic drugs can aid in the reformation of neuronal connections that have faded in people with long-term depression.

However, researchers are yet to understand the mechanism of this process.

That being said, it is simultaneously observed that psychedelics can worsen certain medical conditions. These conditions include personality disorders and other behavioral conditions such as schizophrenia and heart and liver ailments.

The latest trial on psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression is likely to complete in 2021.

If the results of all clinical studies in phase 3 confirm the promise made in the completed trials about magic mushrooms, the chances of psychedelic drugs becoming approved for medical treatments in the next 3 years is excellent.

For proving the efficacy of the drug, we have to continuously demonstrate its safety and declare it as a viable and natural approach to treat depression.

*From the article here :

How Psychedelics (Psilocybin) can Treat Mental Disorders Naturally

Recent research says ‘magic mushrooms’ can cure our mental illnesses naturally. Let us tell you what psychedelic drugs are within the context of modern science.

www.sociedelic.com

 

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Psychedelics found to improve the symptoms of psychiatric disorders

by Kimberly Lawson | 5 Aug 2019

Psychedelics with and without accompanying psychotherapy have been found to reduce symptoms associated with at least eight different psychiatric diagnoses, a new scientific review reports.

“The conditions treated ranged from depression to autism, with the largest volume of research dedicated to substance use disorders,” the paper states. “The majority of studies that were reviewed demonstrated significant associations with improvement in the conditions investigated.”

While the authors noted that “it was difficult to draw definitive conclusions as most studies suffered from small sample sizes, inconsistent measures, and poor study design,” the concluded that “this body of pilot literature suggests the possibility of therapeutic benefit that could outweigh adverse events and warrants more rigorous, definitive investigation.”

The findings were published in the Journal of Psychiatric Practice earlier this month.

Last year, an estimated 5.6 million Americans reported using psychedelics, which are illegal, though federal agencies have acknowledged their potential medical value. To better understand how these psychedelic substances may help people, researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio reviewed clinical studies that involved ayahuasca, ibogaine, ketamine, LSD, MDMA and psilocybin.

The review’s authors focused on 16 studies published between 1946 and 2017. Here’s a look at some of their findings:

- In two related studies, patients who were diagnosed with recurrent major depressive disorder saw their symptoms reduced with a single dose of ayahuasca. Though the psychedelic substance was generally well-tolerated, half of study participants experienced vomiting.

- Patients with alcohol use disorder who were given a high dose of dipropyltryptamine while attending therapy for multiple weeks “demonstrated significant improvement on multiple rating scales, including depression, self-regard, and insight during post-testing, the review states."

- In a study of 75 participants with alcohol, cannabis and cocaine use disorders, 61 percent reported abstaining from their substance of choice for an average of five months after being treated with ibogaine and behavioral therapy.

- Researchers found that ketamine-assisted psychotherapy helped more people abstain from alcohol abuse than those who underwent the same three-month psychotherapy course without the psychedelic. “The authors,” the review states, “reported treating over 1000 patients with ketamine psychotherapy without any reports of prolonged psychosis, flashbacks, agitation, or ketamine abuse.”

- Patients diagnosed with alcohol use disorder may find it easier to abstain from drinking with a single dose of LSD than daily use of other common medications used to treat the disorder, according to a meta-analysis reviewing six randomized controlled trials.

- A small study found that higher MDMA dosage with therapy appeared to impact chronic PTSD symptoms related to sexual trauma more than lower doses of the substance.

- Another small study found that patients with varying cancers and related anxiety saw their anxiety and depressive symptoms reduced after a moderate dose of psilocybin, though the effects were not “statistically significant” until six months after administration. Researchers also found that patients experienced a short-lived increase in heart rate and blood pressure after taking psilocybin.

“In 15 of the 16 studies, it was reported that psychedelic monotherapy or augmentation therapy produced clinically significant reduction in symptomatology,” the review states. “Many of these improvements occurred in subjects who had previously failed to respond to traditional treatments. Furthermore, many studies demonstrated improvement in less time than commonly observed with traditional psychopharmacology or therapy.”

Additionally, the review‘s authors found that all but one of the eight studies that examined how psychedelics may affect substance use disorders reported “significant benefits.”

“While the successes reported in the studies reviewed here are intriguing, they should not be misinterpreted as an endorsement for the use of psychedelics to medicate any of the above conditions,” the authors wrote. “This review was inherently biased by the selection criteria, and dangers of psychedelic drug use were not the focus of this review. This should not, however, distract from the potential benefits described.”

The review concluded by pointing out structural barriers to expanded research on psychedelics.

“Despite promising findings in therapeutic psychedelic trials, current factors, including funding, laws, and stigma, continue to impose limitations on further research,” they wrote. “Schedule 1 classification makes study development difficult, costly, and prolonged. Funding by both government and pharmaceutical companies is nonexistent.”

Psychedelics help patients with depression and anxiety

Amidst the growing global movement to decriminalize certain psychedelic drugs, a new scientific review found that ayahuasca, psilocybin and LSD may help with two of the most common psychiatric disorders in the world.

“In all studies,” the paper’s authors write, “psychedelic administration caused statistically significant reductions in depression and anxiety symptoms. These findings corroborate the limited previous research conducted in animal studies and healthy volunteers, as well as anecdotal evidence describing improved mood and reduced feelings of apprehension following psychedelic administration.”

“In a supportive setting, ayahuasca, psilocybin, and LSD consistently produced immediate and significant anti-depressant and anxiolytic effects that were endured for several months.”

Researchers in London analyzed seven prior studies with a total of 130 patients who had been diagnosed with depression and/or anxiety. One looked at the effects of ayahuasca for major depressive disorder, one measured how LSD helped with anxiety linked with a potentially deadly disease and five used psilocybin as an intervention for treatment-resistant depression, anxiety and depression associated with life-threatening and advanced-stage cancers.

Here’s what the review’s authors found:

- In a small study of six patients, a single dose of ayahuasca reduced test scores measuring depressive symptoms by up to 82 percent at one, seven and 21 days after intake.

- Patients who participated in a study investigating the efficacy of psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression saw their symptoms “significantly improved from baseline to 1 week and 3 months post-treatment, with maximum effect at 2 weeks.” A follow-up study at six months found “the anti-depressant and anxiolytic effects of psilocybin were sustained and remained significant at 6 months post-treatment.”

- Three more double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trials involving psilocybin had similar positive results in reduction of symptoms associated with anxiety and depression linked to life-threatening cancer.

- In another study, 12 patients with anxiety associated with the fear that they might die because of a disease were treated with drug-free psychotherapy sessions and two psychotherapy sessions that involved either an experimental dose of LSD (200 micrograms) or a smaller, placebo dose of LSD (20 micrograms). At their two-month follow-up assessment, patients who received the experimental dose reported their symptoms were “significantly reduced,” and these results were still evident at 12 months.

In short: Psychedelics appeared to help patients manage their anxiety and depression better.

“These improvements were consistently observed across a variety of rating scales, and this is suggestive of a genuine therapeutic effect rather than a specific scale’s tendency to show a positive effect,” the study states. “Moreover, the lack of equivalent symptom reduction in control patients indicates that the anti-depressant and anxiolytic effects can be attributed to psychedelic intervention.”

The authors also found that many patients “described the experience as spiritually meaningful, resulting in decreased disease-related demoralisation and hopelessness as well as improved quality of life.”

Importantly, researchers found that the psychedelic treatment “was well-tolerated with no persisting adverse effects.” The most common short-term side effects they reported included transient anxiety, headaches, nausea, in addition to mild increases in heart rate and blood pressure.

“Given the limited success rates of current treatments for anxiety and mood disorders, and considering the high morbidity associated with these conditions,” the study’s authors conclude, “there is potential for psychedelics to provide symptom relief in patients inadequately managed by conventional methods. The novelty of this research means that before psychedelics’ wider-use can be contemplated, the results presented herein need to be replicated in larger studies with a longer followup to determine lasting efficacy and safety.”

The review, published online in the Journal of Affective Disorders last week, comes just two months after the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health sent a letter to a senator that acknowledges the potential healing properties of certain psychedelic substances. The federal agencies noted, however, that they have no plans to reclassify any psychedelics currently in the restrictive category of Schedule I, such as psilocybin, LSD and MDMA.

Psychedelics Can Help Patients With Depression And Anxiety, Study Finds

Amidst the growing global movement to decriminalize certain psychedelic drugs, a new scientific review found that ayahuasca, psilocybin and LSD may help with two of the most common psychiatric disorders in the world. “In all studies,” the paper’s authors write, “psychedelic administration caused...

www.marijuanamoment.net

 

[mr peabody]

Are magic mushrooms beneficial for mental health therapy?

WorldHealth.Net | Oct 28 2019

Magic mushrooms are fungi that contain the active compound psilocybin, a psychedelic that affects cognition, perception, and mood; psilocybin is being investigated for its effects on mental health, and the potential to address various mental health conditions.

These are wild mushrooms that can be found in different parts of the world, most of which belong to the genus Psilocybe; P. cubensis is the most common source of psilocybin with the principal active compounds also including another psychedelic compound called psilocin.

This mushrooms can be taken in a variety of ways such as made into a tea or eaten fresh. Some 200 different species have been identified, each containing various quantities of psilocybin which is currently being studied as a potential treatment for depression and has been given a breakthrough therapy designation by the US FDA; that being said, it still remains listed as a Schedule 1 controlled substance.

Psilocybin is suggested to exert its effects by activating serotonin receptors which are located in the prefrontal cortex responsible for a range of complex behaviors and personality development. Although it is classed as a hallucinogen psilocybin does not always cause it. Sometimes it does distort perception of things in a person’s environment, and the effects can be influenced by expectations, past experiences, and dosage.

Matthew Johnson, associate professor at Johns Hopkins University, has been studying psilocybin for years recently said in an interview with Healthline that the active compound in magic mushrooms may be of benefit to people with various health conditions. He says that many people mistakenly believe that psilocybin is an addictive drug, but it is not, as it doesn’t induce the same euphoria and dopamine response as do drugs of addiction.

According to Johnson, psilocybin has a higher success rate than nicotine replacement when it comes to helping people quit smoking, and one year after quitting 67% of the people in the study were biologically confirmed to still be smoke free, and it is substantially better than the best medications prescribed to help people quit smoking.

Before psilocybin was banned thousands of patients benefited from its use, the only cases with long lasting psychiatric harm were those of schizophrenics, or those who thought they had a predisposition for that mental illness. Johnson is optimistic about his results comparing cognitive behavioral therapy with psilocybin treatment, and hopes that it will one day be approved for treatment of a variety of medical conditions. Magic mushrooms are believed by Johnson to have the potential to transform psychiatry, and the likely application as a treatment for depression as well as addiction points to the possibility of different disorders sharing more similarities than were previously thought.

Despite his optimism Johnson emphasizes the risks of using psilocybin, and discourages its use outside of a legal and approved medical framework as it can still be abused and used in ways that can harm users or other people.

Are Magic Mushrooms Beneficial For Mental Health Therapy?

Magic mushrooms are fungi that contains the active compound psilocybin, which is a known hallucinogen that affects the part of the brain responsible for cognition, perception, and mood; psilocybin is being investigated for the effects on mental health and the possible potential to address...

www.worldhealth.net

 

[mr peabody]

Kings College London

How CBD takes effect in the brains of people with psychosis

Kings College London | Neuroscience News | 29 Jan 2020

Researchers from King's College London have shown that CBD alters the brain activity in people with psychosis during memory tasks, more similar to the activation seen in people without psychosis during the same tasks.

Published in Psychological Medicine, the researchers used fMRI scans to examine the brain activity of 13 people with a diagnosis of psychosis under the influence of a single dose of CBD or placebo and 16 controls whilst they were undertaking a memory task. The researchers showed that, during the task, there was a different pattern of activity in the prefrontal and medio-temporal brain areas of people with psychosis under placebo compared to the activity seen in those without psychosis. When those with psychosis were given one dose of CBD, the activation in these brain areas became more like the activation seen in control subjects.

Senior author on the study, Professor Sagnik Bhattacharyya, from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London said: “Our study provides important insight into which areas of the brain CBD targets. It is the first time research has scanned the brains of people with a diagnosis of psychosis who have taken CBD and, although the sample is small, the results are compelling in that they demonstrate that CBD influences those very areas of the brain that have been shown to have unusual activity in people with psychosis.”

CBD is one of over 100 chemical compounds known as cannabinoids that are found in the cannabis plant. There has been recent interest in the use of cannabidiol (CBD) as an alternative to current antipsychotic medicines as it could prove to be more tolerable generally and more effective for a subset of people who do not respond to available antipsychotics. Its use has been associated with a decrease in symptoms of psychosis and changes in brain activity during verbal memory tasks in patients at high risk of psychosis.

The study also showed that activity in the striatum and the activity in hippocampus was more co-ordinated in people with psychosis, indicating there was a greater functional connectivity between these two areas in this group compared to controls. After one dose of CBD this functional connectivity was reduced in people with psychosis and became more similar to that seen in the controls. Those people with psychosis continued on their existing antipsychotic treatment throughout the study.

The results indicate that CBD has a moderating effect on the altered pattern of brain activity in the prefrontal, mediotemporal and striatal areas in people with psychosis. The study also showed that psychotic symptoms did show a decreasing trend after the dose of CBD but researchers highlighted that no definitive conclusions could be drawn about this effect as the study did not look at sustained use of CBD and the sample size was small.

Professor Bhattacharyya added: “This study provides important insight into the brain mechanisms behind the antipsychotic effects of CBD. It gives confidence in the antipsychotic potential of CBD by demonstrating that it targets the function of brain regions implicated in psychosis and indicating that even a single dose may ameliorate some of the brain function alterations that may underlie psychosis. The finding that psychotic symptoms may show a trend towards improvement in this group even after one dose of CBD is encouraging, but requires a larger scale clinical trial to investigate if the effects would continue with longer term treatment. The results form an important part of the picture that scientific research is building on the effects of CBD and will help support the case for further clinical trials on the use of CBD in different stages of psychosis as well other neuropsychiatric diseases such as Parkinson’s disease where a proportion of patients may also experience psychotic symptoms."

How CBD takes effect in the brains of people with psychosis - Neuroscience News

During memory tasks, people with psychosis have different patterns of activity in the prefrontal and mediotemporal brain areas compared to those without the disorder. When exposed to cannabidiol (CBD), the activity of the brain areas became more like those seen in the controls for people with...

neurosciencenews.com

 

[mr peabody]

Psychedelic drugs saved my life

by Khaliya | 7 Aug 2017

Mental-health advocate Khaliya points to evidence that shows psychedelic drugs like psilocybin could transform the way we treat mental health. The world is in the throes of a mental-health crisis, as depression and dementia afflict spiraling numbers of people.

In March 2017, the World Health Organization declared that depression is the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide. Over 300 million people are living with it, an increase of more than 18 per cent between 2005 and 2015. But help is at hand - if we can reach out and grasp it.

A group of drugs long considered taboo is poised to transform the way we treat mental health. Recent research suggests that psychedelics could probe to be powerful tools not only to treat, but also potentially cure, many mental health problems regarded as chronic.

Psychedelics do something that our current psychiatric drugs cannot: they transform hardwired neural patterns to reroute the very architecture of the brain, sometimes in a single dose. Roland Griffiths, a professor of Psychiatry and Neurosciences at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, has likened psychedelics ability to bring about neural rerouting as akin to a surgical intervention.

Take psilocybin, better known as magic mushrooms. "A single dose of the drug can do in 30 seconds what it takes antidepressants three to four weeks to do," according to David Nutt, professor of neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London.

A study published in the Journal of Psycho-pharmacology on people with anxiety associated with life-threatening illness suggested that LSD-assisted psychotherapy was successful in almost 70% of subjects, with positive effects lasting more than a year and causing no lasting adverse reactions.

Given the overwhelmingly positive results of these and other trials, one would think the clinical use of psychedelics would represent a sea change in our approach to mental-health treatment. But, sadly, outdated societal prejudice against psychedelics is proving a formidable handicap, hampering research and keeping many in need from reaping the benefits.

Strict anti-drug legislation that still criminalizes the use of such substances has pushed psychedelic-assisted treatments underground: unless you are among the lucky few accepted into a clinical trial, your only options are to find an unlicensed practitioner, attempt to do it yourself illegally or travel to places where the compounds are legal.

Growing numbers of people are doing just that, and in recent months, there has been flurry of articles on the topic which have stoked curiosity about the potential of psychedelics. In April of this year, the Psychedelic Science Conference in California was attended by more than 3,000 people who traveled from across the globe to learn about recent advances.

Although it is heartening that more people are finding relief, ad hoc experimentation is not the way to go. We must bring this research into the mainstream, guarantee adequate funding and shield well-intentioned facilitators from criminal prosecution.

I should know. I was once the victim of a violent robbery, which left me shattered. Out of desperation I turned to psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. It helped save my life.

Mental-health practices around the world are in desperate need of an overhaul, and psychedelics could be just the hack we need to achieve such fundamental - and indispensable - change. I believe mental health to be a human right, and as such it is nothing short of our duty to follow, and fund, the science.

http://www.wired.co.uk/article/magic...chedelic-drugs​

 

[mr peabody]

Why the future of mental health care may lie in psychedelics

by Rosie Mattio | Forbes Agency Council | 9 Jun 2020

Despite the fact that most non-COVID medical research and funding has come to a halt during the pandemic, there is one emerging field that is still forging ahead. The legal use of psychedelics to treat severe cases of psychological disorders, including depression, addiction and PTSD, has exploded in popularity among researchers and investors in the past two years and has garnered even more interest in recent months.

In just a handful of years, the perception of psychedelics’ brand image among mainstream audiences has rapidly shifted from a dubious party drug to an approachable form of medicine.

Cannabis executives across the industry, including myself, have been monitoring these advancements in hopes that Schedule I substances like cannabis and psychedelics can one day be accepted by mainstream communities as essential forms of medicine.

Psychedelics secures the support of the FDA and medical community

Unlike medical cannabis, which is still navigating a litany of federal research restrictions, psychedelic substances, including ketamine, psilocybin and ibogaine, have been granted FDA approval for clinical trials. In fact, in 2018 and 2019, the FDA designated psilocybin, the psychoactive compound found in mushrooms, as a “Breakthrough Therapy” to treat clinical depression. This coveted classification allows the developers of the drug to conduct clinical trials with more regulatory support and fast-tracks the development and review of final treatments.

Last year, the FDA also approved a ketamine nasal spray to treat depression. The medication has been embraced by psychiatrists across the U.S. and is a breakthrough in its own right, since patients with severe cases of depression can now reimburse part of their legal ketamine treatment through insurance plans, a policy that is unheard of with medical cannabis.

The rising popularity and approval of ketamine therapy in the medical community has also resulted in a proliferation of ketamine clinics in the past few years. Private companies have started opening their doors in major cities in an effort to destigmatize psychedelic medicine and make treatments more accessible. In response to social distancing guidelines, some companies have recently pivoted to telemedicine services. For example, at Mindbloom, a Manhattan-based private clinic, qualifying patients are mailed sublingual ketamine tablets and monitored by a trained clinician over video conference. Considering how some states do not even permit medical cannabis delivery, these advancements in psychedelic medicine reflect how regulators and society may be more open to modern approaches in mental health care than we previously thought.

Investor intrigue fuels industry funding

Although most industries, including cannabis, are experiencing a considerable decline in investment during this period of economic uncertainty, psychedelics have been relatively impervious to recent investing trends. In March, two psychedelics companies, Champignon Brands and Mind Medicine Inc., went public on Canadian stock exchanges. MindMed, which aims to treat addiction and ADHD through ibogaine and LSD, notably raised $24 million ahead of its IPO this year. Bruce Linton, the former CEO of Canopy Growth, was an early investor, which reinforces the importance of legal cannabis and psychedelics growing in tandem.

At the beginning of May, PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel led a $24 million funding round for ATAI Life Sciences, one of MindMed’s main competitors aiming to make psilocybin more scalable and accessible in clinical settings. Similarly, Compass Pathways, a company that was granted the “breakthrough therapy” designation by the FDA for its psilocybin depression drug, raised $80 million in its Series B in April. Another vote of confidence for the industry came from Canaccord Genuity, an investment bank known for funding promising emerging markets, when the company hosted its inaugural virtual Psychedelic Conference Series at the end of April.

Investors may favor psychedelics over cannabis due to the relative regulatory support the industry has received and higher barrier to entry. Risk-averse investors who watched cannabis companies battle with regulators and struggle to recover their stock prices likely view psychedelics as a more controlled and unsaturated environment. Investors are also considering the long-term returns of the industry, as experts estimate that the market for anxiety and depression treatment will reach $19 billion in the U.S. by 2026. For conservative investors, the psychedelics industry is a lucrative branch of pharmaceutical science that may be perceived as more credible due to consistent backing from the FDA and medical community.

Rising mental health cases will keep psychedelics research in high demand

The National Institutes of Health estimates that over 16 million Americans struggle with depression. Considering the marginal amount of money allocated to mental health care in the national stimulus package, the existing mental health system will be inundated with the number of cases that will certainly increase in the next few months. This, coupled with the fact that nearly 30% of depression cases are treatment-resistant, means the demand for more effective therapies will also escalate in a post-COVID world.

As the world grapples with the aftershocks of the pandemic, patients and healthcare providers will likely seek out alternative and modern mental health services to treat severe psychological disorders. The cannabis industry remains hopeful that their peers in the legal psychedelics space will pave the way for formerly illicit substances to be embraced as innovative medical treatments by regulatory and scientific communities. Individuals struggling with their mental health ultimately deserve to explore every avenue to recovery without social stigmas getting in the way.​

 

[mr peabody]

Is psychedelic-assisted therapy the answer to the mental health crisis caused by COVID-19?

by Jeff Kronenfeld | Psychedelics Today | 20 Jul 2020

Mental health has become one of the central themes of 2020 thanks to COVID-19 and the resulting societal shutdown. In fact, the psychological spillover from coronavirus is projected to evolve into an entirely separate pandemic, according to the Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association (JAPNA). Like the virus itself, the “second pandemic” is nothing to ignore. The United Nations, World Health Organization and other academic sources such as the Journal of the American Medical Association have also sounded the alarm about a potential mental health crisis coming down the pipeline.

The JAPNA study, however, calls for the implementation of “new mental health interventions” and “collaboration among health leaders” in order to prepare for mobilization when the masses are seeking psychological assistance. While psychedelic medicines were not explicitly cited in the study, these drugs offer an array of treatments that just so happen to address many of the mental health issues brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and paranoia. Specifically, psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, which is on the brink of legalization in Oregon, may serve as one such model to assuage the psychological fallout from COVID-19.

Causes of the mental health crisis

So, how can COVID trigger a mental health crisis? That answer is: Easily. At the time of writing, over 121,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 and more than 2.3 million have been infected, according to data from John Hopkins University. The authors of the JAPNA article note that survivors of ICU treatment face an elevated risk for depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), sleep disturbance, poor quality of life, and cognitive dysfunction.

Those who contract COVID are not the only ones facing psychological trauma from the pandemic, however. Healthcare workers on the frontlines are at a heightened risk of experiencing severe trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and depression from COVID. Family members of coronavirus patients also face heightened distress, fear, and anxiety, all of which are likely aggravated by the restrictions on hospital visits and lack of testing. The rapid influx of COVID-19 cases also has the potential to decrease capacity for treating other patients, such as those experiencing psychological issues.

Moreover, even people who have not directly dealt with COVID may experience mental health troubles. A lot of anxiety exists around virus exposure, which is triggered when having to leave the house for basic reasons, such as going to the grocery store or bank. The media’s inconsistent, doomsday coverage of the pandemic adds to the confusion around what’s going on, resulting in extreme fear, information overwhelm, and hysteria.

The unintended consequences of a nationwide shut down is also proving to have a negative impact on mental health, according to a study published in European Psychiatry (EP). Lack of social interaction, specifically, is a well-known risk factor for depression, anxiety disorders and other mental health conditions. Further, the study warns that the longer such policies are in effect, the more risk they pose to those with preexisting mental health issues.

“Most probably we will face an increase of mental health problems, behavioral disturbances, and substance-use disorders, as extreme stressors may exacerbate or induce psychiatric problems,” the EP authors write.

News from the economic front is also concerning. The IMF projects global GDP will contract by 3 percent this year—the most severe decline since the Great Depression—with the US GDP predicted to drop by a whopping 5.9 percent. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show more than 40 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits since mid-March, a number that will likely increase. For many, job security means financial stability, which generally ties into one’s mental wellness.

Research published in Clinical Psychological Science found that people who lost their job, income and housing during the Great Recession were at a higher risk of depression, anxiety and substance abuse. This is particularly troubling considering the Great Recession only caused a .1 percent drop in global GDP, a decline 30 times less severe than the financial crisis caused by COVID-19. Moreover, suicide rates in the US are directly related to unemployment. In fact, for every unemployment rate percentage increase, the suicide rate rises 1.6 percent in the US, according to a study in the Social Science and Medicine journal.

Looking at all of these factors combined, a mental health crisis seems imminent. A report from the Well Being Trust predicts that COVID-19 and its associated stressors will cause anywhere from 27,644 to 154,000 deaths from alcohol, drugs and suicide. The results of a recent poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation suggest our trajectory could already be trending towards the worst-case scenario. The poll shows that 56 percent of Americans surveyed believe the outbreak has negatively impacted their mental health. But that number rose to 64 percent for those who experienced income loss.

How can psychedelics help?

Psilocybin, MDMA and ketamine combined with psychotherapy show promise for treating an array of mental health conditions— many of which happen to be brought on by the pandemic.

Studies show that psilocybin-assisted therapy decreases depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening diseases, such as cancer. Participants reported reduced feelings of hopelessness, demoralization, and fear of death. Even 4.5 years after the treatment, 60 to 80 percent of participants still demonstrated clinically significant antidepressant and anti-anxiety responses. While we do not advocate for those sick with coronavirus to eat mushrooms, these studies suggest that psilocybin may be effective in treating the extreme fear, anxiety and depression activated by the virus and global shutdown.

MDMA-assisted psychotherapy also promises major relief from pandemic-related trauma. Multiple studies show that it is a profound tool in the treatment of PTSD for military veterans, firefighters and police officers with no adverse effects post-treatment. MDMA therapy could be particularly beneficial to healthcare workers, survivors of extreme COVID cases or those who lost a loved one to the disease— all of which can inflict significant trauma, and therefore, PTSD.

“We found that over 60 percent of the participants no longer had PTSD after just three sessions of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy,” says Brad Burge, the director of strategic communications at MAPS. “We also found that those benefits persisted and people actually tended to continue getting better over the next year without any further treatments.”

Ketamine (and the esketamine nasal spray) treatment, on the other hand, is already available in North America. It’s especially effective in assuaging the tension of treatment resistant depression, bipolar disorder, chronic pain, and PTSD —all of which could be exacerbated by pandemic-related stressors.

Keep in mind, however, that using psychedelics at home is different than receiving psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Catherine Auman, a licensed family and marriage therapist with experience in psychedelic integration, warns that now may not be the best time to use psychedelics, especially in a non-clinical setting. She worries that pandemic-related stressors could impact a patient’s psychological state.

“Psychedelics are powerful substances and are best to do at a time in a person’s life when they’re feeling more stable, not less,” Auman explains. “This is good advice whether someone is using them recreationally or therapeutically.”

Will COVID-19 impede psychedelic research and delay public access?

The pandemic has impeded both psychedelic research efforts and access to currently available therapies. We’re essentially at a standstill until COVID is controlled. MAPS is among few—if not the only—organization with FDA permission to carry on research, but at a reduced scale. When we first spoke with Burge for this story, MAPS was on its first session of Phase 3 MDMA clinical trials. More recently, however, the FDA allowed MAPS to end the first round of Phase 3 early with only 90 out of 100 of the planned participants enrolled. Burge confirmed MAPS is already preparing for their second and last Phase 3 clinical trial. He predicts the DEA could reschedule MDMA by as early as 2022.

Usona Institute temporarily paused all in-person activities related to its Phase 2 clinical trials looking at psilocybin for major depressive disorder, according to its April newsletter. Usona is still recruiting participants for clinical trials at five sites, however.

Compass Pathways is not currently accepting any new patients in its clinical trials looking into the impact of psilocybin on treatment-resistant depression, according to a statement. They continue to support already enrolled patients remotely, when possible within the protocol. Pre-screening of potential study participants continues where possible, too.

Field Trip Health is a recently formed network of clinics offering ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. The facility opened its first clinic in Toronto in March. But, after seeing one patient, it promptly shut down due to the accelerating spread of COVID-19.

"The decision for Field Trip Health to close its clinic was relatively easy," says Ronan Levy, the company’s executive chairman. They didn’t have large numbers of patients actively receiving treatment yet. But, the pandemic has forced the organization to quickly adapt. “We launched a digital online therapy program, so patients can self-refer or have referrals to our psychotherapists, who are trained in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, with specific protocols and behavioral therapies,” says Verbora, Field Trip Health’s medical director. “Long term, as these clinics start to open up again, we’ll have dual streams. We’ll be able to sort patients in the clinic for ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, but some of their care may be able to be done from home.”

While the COVID-19 pandemic has hampered research efforts in the short term and, the movement around the healing properties of psychedelic medicine is still going strong.

“The path to acceptance might be slowed down a little bit due to COVID,” Verbora says. “But the current path that’s being undertaken by a number of different groups and institutions is one that’s going to lead to profound changes in the way we approach mental health.”

The timing couldn’t be more perfect.

The Second Pandemic: Is Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy the Answer to the Mental Health Crisis Caused by COVID-19? – Psychedelics Today

By Jeff Kronenfeld Mental health has become one of the central themes of 2020 thanks to COVID-19 and the resulting societal shutdown. In fact, the psychological spillover from coronavirus is projected to evolve into an entirely separate pandemic, according to the Journal of the American...

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The link between psychosis and the psychedelic state

Calvey, Howells

A population study which investigated psychedelic use in Norway, in 2013, reported that from their 21,967 respondents, 13% reported lifetime psychedelic use, and found no significant association with mental health outcomes; in fact there were several instances where psychedelic use was associated with lower rate of mental health problems. The use of psychedelics, such as cannabis, when psychosis does develop and persists, is suggested to result from an interaction of genes and the environment, as an example; multiple natural genetic variations interact with cannabis and other environmental factors (stress) to increase the risk of developing psychosis. Ergo psychedelics alone do not produce psychosis or psychotic disorder, as an individual needs to be genetically predisposed or carry a greater risk profile or susceptibility to developing psychosis.

This being said, basic animal researchers employ acute and chronic dosing of certain psychedelics to induce psychotic-like behaviors in their research animals, usually rat or mouse, to investigate the neurobiological mechanism of psychosis, e.g., NMDA antagonists ketamine and PCP. NMDA antagonists disrupt glutamatergic signaling, specifically reducing NMDA receptor function; this is a postulated mechanism which leads to the human psychotic state, at least in part, and conversion to psychosis in ultra-high risk for psychosis (UHR) individuals.

Importantly, for an animal to “serve” as a reliable model of a human condition it needs to meet several validity criteria. Behavioral comparisons between PCP and schizophrenia-like behavior in rodents report, for example, deficits in the cognitive domain which are comparable to schizophrenia executive function deficits; these include deficits in novel object recognition, attentional set shifting and T-maze delayed alternation. Then PCP in primates reduces frequency and duration of social interaction which is comparable to social withdrawal in humans, a negative symptom of schizophrenia. Administration of anti-psychotic medications has been shown to reverse these behavioral deficits produced by PCP, specifically deficits in reversal learning and locomotor sensitization, where it is suggested that this reversal is achieved through the activation of muscarinic-1 receptors. However, as with all psychiatric animal models, there are limitations in their translation to the human condition, e.g., animals cannot communicate the experience of a hallucination or the retrieval of unconscious memory. Other psychedelic animal models of schizophrenia address serotoninergic dysfunction reported in schizophrenia, and have included acute and chronic administration of mescaline, psilocybin, and LSD, and again lack full translation to the human condition.

Importantly, antipsychotic drugs are known to act on the dopaminergic and serotonergic systems; however, their full mechanism of action is still being discovered. Conventional typical anti-psychotics have strong affinity to D2 receptor, which are found in high concentrations within the mesolimbic and mesocortical pathways, which are seen as the primary pathways involved in schizophrenia, if following the dopamine hypothesis, and lead to the presentation of positive psychotic symptoms, i.e., hallucinations and delusions. New atypical anti-psychotics, which are prescribed in lower dosages than typical antipsychotics, make the addition of acting on 5HT receptors, e.g., 5HT1A, 5HT2A, and 5HT2C subtypes, as do classic psychedelics. Clozapine, an atypical anti-psychotic, which is effective in treating treatment resistant schizophrenia and negative symptoms of psychosis, may act as an inverse agonist on 5HT2C receptors. Where, the 5HT1A receptor gene promotor polymorphism as been associated with treatment efficacy of negative symptoms in schizophrenia.

The identification of non-psychedelic compounds with similar serotonergic and glutamatergic receptor affinities as psychedelics has been proposed to be an important area for future research, with view to potential antineuro-inflammatory properties. An example given is how DOI induces profound anti-inflammatory effects at doses below those required to induce rodent head-twitch behavior. If non-psychedelic agonists that share the anti-inflammatory effects of DOI could be developed, this may have significant therapeutic implications as would the identification of non-psychedelic analogs capable of promoting plasticity in the prefrontal cortex. Such compounds would also be critical in resolving the debate as to whether the psychedelic state is necessary for their therapeutic effects.

As reviewed by Barsuglia et al., 2018, the intensity of the mystical experience is a key predictor of therapeutic outcomes in psilocybin-assisted treatment of alcohol dependence. Perhaps, for certain disorders (inflammatory disorders or degenerative disorders, for example), non-psychedelic compounds would be effective. More research needs to focus on psychedelic “microdosing,” as it is known in the field. Sub-psychedelic doses of psychedelic compounds have been found to assist with certain disorders or conditions which is common practice within the psychedelic communities; however, there is only one human study in the literature which demonstrated that microdosing psilocybin had a positive effect on creativity. Additional controlled studies in this area could be of tremendous value in the field.

Another promising line of research would be into ibogaine’s ability to reverse opioid tolerance, ergo development of non-addictive chronic pain medication. It is suggested that ibogaine is able to produce a neuroadaptive effect on endogenous opioid systems likely due to its ability to reverse the effects of opiates on gene expression, returning the receptors to pre-addiction condition. Ibogaine administered together with morphine potentiates the analgesic effects of morphine as well as reduce developing tolerance. Uncovering these mechanisms would be of great value to the field of pain management.

Another area that requires further research is combination psychedelic therapy. Traditional practitioners often use psychedelics in combination and have been doing so for many generations. Barsuglia et al. propose a theory as to how 5-MeO-DMT and ibogaine used in sequential administration would be more effective in treating addiction than either one on its own. The combined neurotransmitter profile of the two compounds would likely have an augmented effect when used in combination but as this is the first study of its kind assessing combined psychedelic therapy, more research is needed to uncover poly-psychedelic pharmacology.

Psychedelics remain largely illegal in many countries; limiting human research, the research findings to date suggest that psychedelics hold therapeutic benefit to several human conditions, psychiatric through to chronic pain. There would be benefit from preclinical studies in which multimodal neuroimaging and electrophysiological recordings are taken, while within a solid research design, which manages the diversity of human behavior. Longitudinal research investigating single/multiple administration and at various doses, including microdosing, would greatly enhance our understanding.

*From the article here :

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328974974

 

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Anti-psychotics and psychedelics

SPIRIT PHARMACIST | 7 Dec 2019

Due to anti-psychotic drugs being indicated or Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, their use could be viewed as a marker of potential contraindication for psychedelic drug use. However, the genesis of anti-psychotics has begun to spill over into adjunctive treatments for depression, insomnia, or generalized anxiety. Moreover, the historical convergence of psychedelics and anti-psychotics in drug discovery and pharmacologic theory is interesting. In this post I’ll cover anti-psychotics and psychedelics from a historical neuropharmacologic perspective, discuss psychosis and spiritual emergency, as well as cover practical strategies for guiding evaluation of persons taking anti-psychotics whom may be considering psychedelic use. A summary table of anti-psychotic agents, their indications for use, dosing and time to elimination can be found here.

Anti-psychotics - yesterday and today

The first FDA approved anti-psychotic was chlorpromazine (Thorazine) in 1954. A very sedating drug, it had its anti-psychotic properties serendipitously discovered when it was being tested as part of a cocktail for anesthesia. It was noted that psychotic patients undergoing surgery had symptomatic improvements in their psychotic symptoms. Thorazine’s discovery helped to usher in the ‘biological era’ of psychiatry as it was one of the first medications discovered to noticeably improve severe mental illness. Its discovery allowed patients with severe mental illness to coexist in society and helped to bring about the end of the insane asylum era. The first anti-psychotics discovered had their therapeutic mechanism attributed to blocking dopamine 2 (D2) receptors and were termed first generation anti-psychotics (FGA) or typical anti-psychotics. While Thorazine is rarely used today, other ‘high potency’ FGAs such as haloperidol (Haldol) are still used frequently in hospital settings.

The next breakthrough in the development of anti-psychotics and treatment of schizophrenia involved the introduction of clozapine (Clozaril, Fazoclo) in 1989. This medication had a complex pharmacologic profile, although its therapeutic effects were primarily attributed to both D2 receptor blockade as well as serotonin 2A (5HT2A) receptor blockade. Clozapine was more effective than FGAs in the management of schizophrenia. Unfortunately, it was limited by a number of severe adverse effects, including hematologic toxicities such as agranulocytosis (wiping out of immune cells). The rush to discover a molecule with similar effects without the severe adverse effects brought a new wave of anti-psychotics to market. Several agents were approved over the last 30 years and collectively constitute second generation anti-psychotics (SGAs) or atypical anti-psychotics.

The vast majority of SGAs feature appreciable affinity for the D2 and 5HT2A receptor, although can also bind with several other receptors from different neurotransmitter systems. These include receptors such as alpha-1 noradrenergic receptors, muscarinic cholinergic receptors, and hisamine-1 receptors. These additional receptor bindings and subsequent affinity ratios between each paints each drug as unique, which may lead to different use profiles. Second generation anti-psychotics (SGAs) are able to reduce symptoms of bipolar disorder and are oftentimes used as mood stabilizers. Recently, a few SGAs have been approved for use in conjunction with antidepressants such as SSRIs in the management of depression. There has also been an expansion in off-label prescribing of SGAs, and are now being used in lower doses for the treatment of generalized anxiety or insomnia. Thus, anti-psychotics are no longer limited to use in psychosis, which makes them pertinent medications to discuss in the context of psychedelic healing.

Anti-psychotics as red flags

By virtue of being drugs that are primarily indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, anti-psychotic use may be seen as a ‘red flag’ for psychedelic use as it’s generally accepted that psychedelics are contraindicated in persons with these illnesses. However, given the widespread off-label use of anti-psychotics for depression, anxiety, and insomnia, it would be premature to automatically conclude that anyone using an anti-psychotic is a poor candidate and/or should be disqualified from use of psychedelics. The dose of anti-psychotic used may be a reasonable clue as to underlying indication, as doses used for depression, anxiety, or insomnia are typically much lower than doses used for schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. To aid in better understanding doses and indications of anti-psychotics, I created a table summarizing both FDA approved indications and other uses of anti-psychotics as well as what may be considered a ‘low’ or ‘high’ dose. Taking a careful psychiatric history that involves screening for symptoms of psychosis or bipolar disorder is a must in general, although becomes paramount in importance when anti-psychotics are being used and psychedelics are being considered. Some common symptoms of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are linked.

Due to the subjectivity in the psychiatric diagnostic system as well as misdiagnosis of bipolar disorders, it is distinctly possible that an individual is using anti-psychotics despite not having symptoms that would meet criteria for a bipolar or psychotic disorder. There are also considerable variability in degree of severity of bipolar disorder. It’s also possible that other processes such as ‘spiritual emergency’ (discussed further below) could explain the disturbance in consciousness. Nonetheless, it may be fair to assume that persons taking these medications have more refractory types of illness or may have had mild symptoms of psychosis (e.g. anxiety bordering on paranoia) or bipolar disorder (hypomania) at one point in time. These circumstances warrant extra caution when approaching or considering psychedelic use.

Anti-psychotics as 'anti-psychedelics'

Mechanistically, stimulation of the 5HT2A receptor is critical for psychedelic phenomena to occur. This has been demonstrated pharmacologically using knock out models, in which mice lacking the 5HT2A receptor do not display typical behaviors indicative of psychedelic use. Many SGAs have inverse agonist properties at the 5HT2A receptor, meaning that they stabilize an inactive conformation of the receptor. It appears that SGAs may also be able to reduce genetic expression of the 5HT2A receptor. These actions may prohibit (or severely limit) the ability of psychedelics to stimulate the receptor or produce effects as it lays dormant in an inactive conformation or is less prevalent on neuronal membranes. With the FGA Thorazine (which also blocks 5HT2A receptors), it was noted that 50mg given two hours before psilocybin diminished the effects. Blockade of the 5HT2A receptor by the 5HT2A blocking drug ketanserin, drastically reduces or even abolishes psychedelic experiences. The SGA risperidone was even engineered to be able to completely abolish the effects of LSD on rodent drug discrimination tests. It appears safe to conclude that the opposing effects of anti-psychotics (particularly SGAs) and psychedelics at the 5HT2A receptor, creates the potential for pharmacodynamic interaction to occur, resulting in muted or abolished psychedelic experiences. This appears to not be true of FGAs that purely block dopamine receptors, as one experiment in which persons used haloperidol prior to psilocybin resulted in increased ‘psychotomimetic’ effects such as anxious ego-dissolution. Of note, anti-psychotics may have additional pharmacology that creates further potential for drug interaction. For example, the antipsychotic ziprasidone (Geodon) is able to block the serotonin reuptake pump like an antidepressant, thus carries risk of severe physical toxicity such as serotonin syndrome in combination with monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI)-containing psychedelics such as ayahuasca.

The psychedelic model of psychosis

The convergence of SGAs and psychedelics at the 5HT2A receptor may increase validity of neuropharmacologic models of non-ordinary states of consciousness that attempt to link psychotomimetic or hallucinogenic effects of psychedelics with pathophysiology of schizophrenia. This section is not intended to say that psychedelics cause psychotic illness, only that there appears to be common ground and interesting observations in the mechanisms that drive both types of non-ordinary states (5HT2A receptor binding).

Whilst rare, there are several documented reports of psychedelics precipitating or worsening schizophrenia or bipolar disorders. It makes sense that psychedelics could directly cause an exacerbation or episode of these illnesses as they stimulate an active conformation of the 5HT2A receptor which is mechanistically opposed to anti-psychotics. There is also data supporting that chronic tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) use increases ‘pro-hallucinogenic’ conformations of the 5HT2A receptor, which may explain the association between heavy cannabis use in adolescence and the development of schizophrenia. Whilst a causal relationship between cannabis use and psychosis remains controversial, it appears that a dose response relationship is present. Moreover, cannabidiol (CBD) is reported to diminish effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and is itself now being studied as an adjunctive treatment for psychosis. It appears that serotonergic psychedelics as well as THC have the ability to sensitize the 5HT2A receptor to non-ordinary consciousness phenomena, which can be pathological in persons predisposed to psychotic or bipolar illness. Beyond exogenous psychedelic administration leading to pro-psychotic brain states, some have wondered if endogenous psychedelic production could be driving psychotic illness.

After the discovery of LSD and mescaline, some hypothesized that an endogenous psychedelic (produced within the body) may be the cause of schizophrenia. The search for a ‘schizotoxin’ that resembled the phenethylamine mescaline turned up unfruitful, although the presence of tryptamines such as DMT, 5-OH-DMT (bufotenine), and 5-MeO-DMT have been detected in several types of body fluids over the years, beginning with DMT in 1955. DMT, other psychedelics, as well as agents such as amphetamine have been found to disrupt sensorimotor gating mechanisms, which are thought to exist to narrow or filter consciousness in such a way that the brain can focus attention rather than becoming disorganized by the overwhelming amount of incoming information. These mechanisms are also disrupted in illnesses such as schizophrenia and normalcy is restored by use of antipsychotic drugs. While endogenous psychedelics have been detected in a number of studies, it appears that many used questionable analytic methods and were not able to definitively link elevated production of endogenous psychedelics to illnesses like schizophrenia. Many control patients without illness also had detectable levels of psychedelic compounds. Therefore, the role for endogenous production of psychedelics remains a mystery and is not definitively linked to psychotic illness.

Psychosis or spiritual emergency?

Even in psychiatric diagnostic classification systems, there’s a recognition that the presence of psychosis or manic symptoms may not be grounds for diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. There are several other forms of psychotic illness such as “brief psychotic disorder” that is defined by psychotic symptoms for a limited period of time that resolve without recurrence. Pathophysiologic models of these phenomena are generally inadequate to explain their occurrence and other explanations have been proposed.

Stan and Christina Grof are often credited with defining different stages of deep personal transformation that are termed ‘spiritual emergence’ and ‘spiritual emergency.’ A spiritual emergence or emergency may result from a near death experience (NDE) or induced by psychedelics. Psychedelics are known to elicit mystical experiences of profound unity or other experiences that shatter our preconceived beliefs of reality so severely, that the ego is not able to fully coalesce again afterwards, leaving the user in a fragile and partially disintegrated state. Psychedelics may also result in intense feelings of derealization or depersonalization post-use, causing one to need to create an entire new sense of personhood and model for reality prior to feeling ‘normal’ again. These states involving dysfunction or distress, non-ordinary states of consciousness, overwhelming emotions, visions and other sensory changes, unusual thoughts, as well as physical manifestations are known as spiritual emergencies (Grof & Grof 1989, 1990). When these disintegrated spiritual states are adequately supported and worked through, they result in deep personal transformation, increased connection with the divine, and expanded capacities for peace and compassion. The potential for spiritual emergency to occur post psychedelic use is one rationale to consider adjunctive therapy or integration coaching, such that support is available if these states arise.

If inadequately supported or not recognized as spiritual crises, these states can be labeled as pathological and ‘treated’ with anti-psychotics or other psychotropics. The use of anti-psychotics in a person undergoing deep spiritual transformation is theorized to suppress the emergence process and result in holding the person in a type of ‘spiritual purgatory’ between stages of personal evolution, trapping the individual in a state of disintegrated dysfunction. Therefore, when psychedelic use results in phenomena post-use that creates questions as to whether illness or spiritual emergency has been precipitated, careful and cautious evaluation should be done prior to use of anti-psychotics or other psychotropics. Several evaluations from persons with different perspectives (e.g. psychiatrist, psychedelic integration specialist, spiritual emergence coach) may be necessary to gain the most complete picture and aid in optimal decision-making during this time. The Center for Spiritual Emergence is a resource for persons that suspect they may be undergoing such a process.

Anti-psychotics for ‘bad trips’

The use of any medication to influence the trajectory of a difficult, challenging, or outright ‘bad’ trip is not preferable, especially in the context of psychedelic healing where difficult emotions may be part of a necessary ongoing emotional process. Guidelines for use of hallucinogens in research suggest that non-drug emotional support be offered as the first line treatment for overwhelmingly intense experiences. If pharmacologic management is absolutely necessary (e.g. the persons is agitated, combative and presents a danger to themselves or others) then a benzodiazepine is recommended to be tried. In the event that this approach fails, the guidelines do mention that a dose of antipsychotic such as risperidone may be used, but only as an absolute last resort. There is obviously some tension and inconsistency between philosophic approaches that view temporary psychotic symptoms as signs of spiritual emergency versus a truly adverse reaction to psychedelics that requires treatment with anti-psychotics.

Antipsychotic discontinuation

Given the potent suppression of psychedelic effects predicted in combination with anti-psychotics, their widespread activity at other neurotransmitter systems, sedating effects, as well as their potential ability to retard, interfere, or suppress processes of spiritual emergence, it appears that taper and discontinuation prior to use of serotonergic psychedelics (MDMA, LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, ayahuasca) is a reasonable approach. Of note, ketamine has been combined with anti-psychotics in the treatment of persons with bipolar depression without reporting loss of effects. Anti-psychotics are known to have withdrawal syndromes when discontinued abruptly. The rapid withdrawal of antipsychotic use may also increase risks of severe symptoms returning rapidly. The abrupt continuation of anti-psychotics has led to ‘supersensitivity psychosis.’ Persons that have recently discontinued anti-psychotics may be more sensitive to the effects of psychedelics due to a hypersensitive response at 5HT2A or D2 receptors as part of withdrawal. There is a wide range in times to elimination of antipsychotic drugs and times to elimination for different agents are summarized in this table. It may be reasonable to washout anti-psychotics for longer than minimum elimination times prior to psychedelic use to allow the withdrawal syndrome to fully run its course and monitor for the re-surfacing of psychotic or manic symptoms prior to engagement with psychedelics. Tapers should be completed with the aid and endorsement of the supervising prescriber and will generally require a few weeks to a few months for successful completion.

Conclusions

The relationship with 5HT2A receptors is diametrically opposed between second generation anti-psychotics (SGAs) and psychedelics, creating potential for muted or abolished psychedelic experiences when combined. The use of serotonergic psychedelics (MDMA, LSD, psilocybin, DMT, ayahuasca) is contraindicated in schizophrenia or bipolar disorders and there’s a credible neuropharmacologic rationale for why these conditions may be exacerbated with psychedelic use. Both psychedelics and anti-psychotics have historically served as interesting neurological probes into non-ordinary states of consciousness and continued research in this area is warranted. Anti-psychotics are generally red flags for psychedelic use as they may denote contraindicated illness or individuals with extreme symptoms. After careful and thoughtful evaluation, a history of antipsychotic use may not preclude the use of psychedelic therapies in persons judged to have non-contraindicated conditions amenable to psychedelic therapies such as major (unipolar) depression, anxiety disorders, or PTSD. Slow taper, discontinuation, and a period of symptom monitoring prior to engaging with psychedelics could increase the safety and effectiveness of psychedelic healing in persons using anti-psychotics.

Antipsychotics & Psychedelics: Historical Perspective & Contemporary Application — Spirit Pharmacist

Psychedelics & Antipsychotics Due to antipsychotic drugs being indicated or Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, their use could be viewed as a marker of potential contraindication for psychedelic drug use. However, the

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A mind-altering path to healing*

by Katherine Hobson | U.S. News | 30 Sep 2020

Jon Kostakopoulos had been trying to stop drinking since his late teens. Nothing – not inpatient programs, outpatient programs, Alcoholics Anonymous or pharmaceutical treatments – seemed to help. So when his concerned mother heard from her new doctor at NYU Langone Health about a small trial of something totally different, she passed on the information. That’s how he found himself, at age 25, undergoing a succession of three therapist-supported experiences with psilocybin, a psychedelic component of magic mushrooms that is now being tested for conditions including addiction, cancer-related anxiety and depression.

Kostakopoulos didn’t have the kind of 3D, multicolored, reality-distorting head trips that some report – and the 1960s stereotype would suggest. “I pretty much knew where I was the whole time,” he says. In one session, he had a kind of death-and-rebirth experience, with the sense of starting over with a clean slate. “Parts of it were great, full of optimism and hope,” he says. "And parts of it were upsetting, full of guilt and embarrassment for what I’d put my friends and family through,” he says. He felt flooded by the need to recalibrate his priorities, and was able to look at himself – and his alcohol problem – more objectively. Kostakopoulos says his last drink was 11 days before his first supervised experience with the drug. That was five years ago.

The potential

But you shouldn’t take Kostakopoulos’ story as proof that psilocybin is the next great wonder drug for treating addiction, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder or anything else. The larger trials that the Food and Drug Administration requires before considering new treatments are ongoing or in the planning stages.
“We don’t know if it works for any of these things,” says Stephen Ross, an associate professor of psychiatry and director of the Addictive Disorders and Experimental Therapeutics Research Laboratory at NYU Langone Health. What researchers do have is a collection of promising small studies evaluating just a few doses of psychedelics – including MDMA, also known as ecstasy – in conjunction with therapy in carefully selected patients, for specific conditions. And these scientists seem to have the wind at their backs in terms of popular and institutional interest in their work. In 2019, Johns Hopkins Medicine – with $17 million in promised funding from individuals including podcaster and “The Four-Hour Workweek” author Tim Ferriss – launched the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research to study the therapeutic potential of psychedelic compounds. Imperial College London launched its own center earlier that year. Researchers at NYU Langone, the University of California-San Francisco and UCLA are also studying the medical potential of psychedelics.

Psilocybin and MDMA are the two drugs that have gotten the most research attention, says Charles Grob, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. Both now have breakthrough status from the FDA – psilocybin for major depression and treatment-resistant depression, and MDMA for PTSD. That means the agency recognizes the potential based on early studies and promises an expedited review. The drugs have different chemistry and effects, but they have the potential to be used in a similar way: a small number of doses paired with psychotherapy for long-term change, says Josh Woolley, an associate professor of psychiatry at UCSF.

The backstory

As journalist Michael Pollan describes in his 2018 bestseller “How to Change Your Mind,” psychedelic substances were used in certain rituals by other cultures (including in South and Central America) for centuries. In the U.S., psilocybin and its lab-synthesized cousin LSD were embraced as “miracle drugs” in the 1950s and early 1960s by the psychiatric establishment, notably for alcoholism and cancer-related distress, before becoming inextricably linked to the 1960s youth counterculture movement. “The dark side of psychedelics began to receive tremendous amounts of publicity – bad trips, psychotic breaks, flashbacks, suicides – and beginning in 1965 the exuberance surrounding these new drugs gave way to moral panic,” Pollan writes. “As quickly as the culture and scientific establishment had embraced psychedelics, they now turned sharply against them.” The drugs were criminalized. “In all of my training, the only things I ever heard about psychedelics was that they’re dangerous and that they cause problems,” Ross says.

But in the past few decades, some researchers – backed by nonprofits such as the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, or MAPS, and the Heffter Research Institute – found their own way to the promising early science and decided to take a fresh look at the drugs. Roland Griffiths, director of the new Johns Hopkins center and a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, got “deeply curious about non-ordinary states of consciousness” after developing a meditation practice about 25 years ago. He did some research on comparative religions and various meditative and contemplative practices, and came across the old medical studies on psychedelics. “I was kind of a skeptic going into it,” he says, referring to the potential of the drugs. But in 2006 he and his colleagues published a double-blinded study showing that administering a high dose of psilocybin under “comfortable, supportive conditions” reliably produced mystical experiences in healthy, religiously or spiritually oriented adults. Griffiths was stunned to find that about two-thirds of the volunteers rated the experience to be “either the single most meaningful experience of his or her life, or among the top five most meaningful experiences of his or her life” – on par with the birth of a first child or death of a parent. Participants also reported enduring positive changes in moods, attitudes and behavior, suggesting a potential therapeutic role.

Psiloscybin may affect people differently. But often, Griffiths says, the drug produces transcendent or mystical-type feelings characterized by a sense of unity and interconnectedness. People often report feeling a sense of mystery and wonder at the very fact of being alive, and a sense of freedom to choose their own path, he says. "That can be helpful for those who are caught in habitual patterns of behavior or thinking, whether it’s the fixation on an addictive substance, ruminative anxiety or depressive thoughts," he says. Experts aren’t sure precisely how psilocybin works, but it seems to temporarily produce a widespread reorganization of brain activity and communication, says Frederick Barrett, an assistant professor of psychiatry and director of neurophysiological mechanism and biomarker assessment at Johns Hopkins’ new center.

Most research on psilocybin has focused on addiction and cancer-related distress. Ross and Griffiths published research in 2016 showing that a single dose along with support from therapists helped participants achieve a 60% to 80% reduction in depression and anxiety that endured six months after the session. Sherry Marcy, now 77, was one of the volunteers. She was diagnosed with stage 3 endometrial cancer in 2010 and underwent surgery and months of grueling chemotherapy and radiation. The treatment worked, but the experience left her depressed and traumatized. She read about the Hopkins study and, after consulting with her wife, signed up. “I’m a child of the 60s, so I wasn’t appalled at the idea,” she says. Marcy took a dose of psilocybin in a special room with a couch, while wearing an eyeshade and headphones. She was monitored by two therapists. (She had two sessions, one with psilocybin and one with a placebo, and was only told which was which afterwards – though she had a pretty good idea based on what she felt.) Her primary experience was a sense of connectedness to her family. “That got me grounded,” she says. “Once I got connected to Nancy and the kids, I knew which way was up and how much I had ahead of me.”

MDMA is also in phase three trials – of three doses accompanied by therapy – following promising results for use in people with PTSD. It’s “quite different” from the classic psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD, though in this context it’s delivered in a similar way (over many hours, with therapists, in a supportive environment), says Michael Mithoefer, a psychiatrist who practices in Charleston, South Carolina, and leads MAPS-sponsored trials of the drug.

The primary treatment for PTSD is psychotherapy that revisits the traumatic events. But some patients get so overwhelmed that they “can’t talk about the trauma without getting upset and anxious,” he says. Others may numb their feelings, which can reduce emotional connection and render therapy ineffective. MDMA seems to help people reach a sweet spot. “They’re activated and engaged enough to do meaningful work, but not overwhelmed,” Mithoefer says. That may be in part because the drug decreases activity in the amygdala, the part of the brain associated with fear, though the mechanism isn’t fully understood. The drug also increases trust and interpersonal connection, which can help build a therapeutic relationship. As with psilocybin, a therapeutically successful or meaningful experience isn’t necessarily a fun one. “The name ‘ecstasy’ is misleading,” Mithoefer says. “You’re not ecstatic when you’re processing trauma, but it’s bearable and productive when it wasn’t before.”

MDMA-assisted therapy helped Jonathan Lubecky, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq and was officially diagnosed with PTSD in 2007. “Within 60 days of coming home, I had my first suicide attempt,” says Lubecky, now 43 and living in Charleston. More attempts followed, and he tried medication and various forms of therapy, to no avail. After hearing about one of the trials Mithoefer was leading and enrolling, he had three therapist-supported sessions with MDMA. “I would purposely stay away from trauma in therapy, because it would trigger panic,” he says. “The medication allows you to not have that occur. You can talk about it like you’re not going to die of a panic attack.” He says the experiences helped him look at things more objectively, without self-judgment. It helped him, although he says he worries that other veterans will hear his story and think they should just go get ecstasy on the street and that they’ll be fine.

*From the article here :

https://health.usnews.com/wellness/mind/articles/psychedelics-for-mental-health

 

[mr peabody]

Psychedelics and mental health: A population study

by Sonja Henrikssen | Reality Sandwich | 10 Oct 2020

Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology published a population study on psychedelic use and mental health.

People throughout the Americas and around the world have used psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin for centuries. But despite countless positive accounts from experienced psychedelic users, some still question whether psychedelics could be hazardous to mental health. General panic relating to the use of “illicit” drugs stigmatizes all substances. It also lumps psychedelics in with opioids, cocaine, and alcohol abuse.

The idea of linking psychedelics to psychosis has become a popular one among the uninitiated and uninformed. This, despite the fact that there’s little to no evidence to associate mental health problems with psychedelic drug use.

Researchers from the Department of Neuroscience at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim surveyed more than 130,000 participants in order to collect data regarding lifetime psychedelic use and mental health. They published this population study as a result of their research. Of the surveyed participants, a little more than 13%, or around 21,967 participants, reported having used psychedelics at some point in their lifetime.

Those individuals who self-reported psychedelic drug use did not have a higher incidence of mental health problems. Nor did they report seeking help for their mental health at a higher rate than those that did not report lifetime psychedelic use. To corroborate these findings, another study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology further assessed the original population study. It examined how higher incidents of childhood trauma and additional substance use could impact the overall results. The final conclusions of both studies were the same.​

“The study shows, in agreement with previous studies, that we probably have exaggerated the danger of the use of psychedelics in general, and LSD in particular, at least if we are to judge on the basis of drug laws.”
—Jørgen Bramness​

Psychedelics and Mental Health: A Population Study | Reality Sandwich

Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology published a population study on psychedelic use and mental health.

realitysandwich.com

 

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The case for funding psychedelics to treat mental health

by Sigal Samuel | VOX | 9 Oct 2020

Scientists are developing psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, into a treatment for depression.

Around the world, people’s mental health is in trouble. Even before the pandemic hit, rates of depression and anxiety were rising globally. Now that we also have Covid-19 to contend with, the problem is even more glaring.

Studies show that all the virus-induced losses — of life, of jobs, of social connection — have come with serious upticks in mental illness worldwide. In the US, for example, the prevalence of depression is four times as high as it was in the second quarter of 2019.

The pandemic has highlighted the inadequacy of our existing tools for coping with these problems. It’s not just that a health crisis can easily disrupt access to mental health services, though we’ve definitely seen that to be true. It’s also that drugs like traditional antidepressants are, at best, only a partial solution. While their effectiveness has been hotly contested over the past decade, the evidence now shows that they are more effective than a placebo, but not that much more effective. (Once we account for the placebo response, the effect size of the drugs themselves is modest.) And for some folks who have treatment-resistant depression, the drugs don’t work at all.

So if you want to invest in the mental health of people around the world, making us all more resilient to future crises, what can you do?

The promise of psychedelics to treat depression and PTSD, explained

Believe it or not, your best bet might be to fund drug development for psychedelic-assisted mental health treatments. At least that’s the upshot of a new in-depth report by Founders Pledge, an organization that guides entrepreneurs committed to donating a portion of their proceeds to effective charities.

Psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, is being investigated as a potential treatment for depression. Over the past decade, a few studies have investigated the effectiveness of psilocybin for treating depression and end-of-life anxiety in cancer patients, and found that the psychedelic had a surprisingly large effect.

Meanwhile, the drug MDMA (also known as ecstasy) is being studied for use in people with post-traumatic stress disorder. MDMA, which affects serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine levels, is best known as a party drug. But research suggests it can also relieve depression and help users access and process memories of emotional trauma. The users in studies participate in psychotherapy sessions where a therapist helps them integrate what they experienced while taking MDMA — which often includes increased feelings of empathy and bonding — into daily life.

There’s some evidence to suggest that ingesting these substances, in a safe setting and under the supervision of trained therapists, can be more helpful with depression and PTSD than traditional drugs; in some studies, the reported effect sizes for psilocybin, say, are greater than the effect sizes of the current best treatments for depression (though these studies have limitations, so we would need more data to establish this with certainty). Psychedelics might also be helpful for anxiety, addiction, and other issues.

If this seems surprising, it’s worth noting that medical research into psychedelics has been going on since the late 1800s. In the 1940s and 1950s, psychiatrists used LSD to treat pain, anxiety, and depression. (There are promising preliminary results from studies of LSD for anxiety, though larger controlled studies are needed.) And in the 1970s and 1980s, psychotherapists and psychiatrists administered MDMA to thousands of patients. As psychedelics became popular for recreational use, though, MDMA was banned in 1985 in the US, and the research slowed in many countries.

As Michael Pollan detailed in How to Change Your Mind, research into the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs has been undergoing a renaissance over the past decade. These therapies are now gaining traction in some quarters. In Oregon, Measure 109 is on the ballot in November, and if passed, the state will be the first in the US to allow psilocybin therapy to be administered by licensed facilitators.

We still need a lot more research on these treatments, though — and one of the benefits of funding the drug development process is that that process will involve doing high-quality studies to prove efficacy and safety. We also need organizations willing to do the hard work of getting a drug approved for medical use nationwide.

The Usona Institute is one such organization that the Founders Pledge report highlights. It’s currently working on drug development for psilocybin as a depression treatment in the US, and it’s already got a preliminary Breakthrough Therapy Designation from the FDA. That’s an acknowledgment that the FDA thinks the early evidence shows psilocybin may have an advantage over available therapy, and it means the FDA offers Usona intensive guidance on its drug development so that it may gain expedited approval. Founders Pledge thinks Usona will put your dollars to better use than any other organization in this space. If interested, you can donate here.

A close runner-up is the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, which is carrying out drug development for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD in the US, Canada, Israel, and soon Europe. If interested, you can donate here. This treatment is already in phase 3 trials, which means approval of MDMA as a therapy could be granted in these countries in a few years.

But the large-scale rollout of new drugs takes a long time. Founders Pledge estimates that for MDMA, it’ll take six to nine years, while for psilocybin the timeline will be more like eight to 11 years.

What if you want to improve mental health right now, during the pandemic?

Investing in causes that may have a big positive impact in the long term is a wise thing to do. But during a pandemic, some people will want to relieve the suffering they see happening right now.

“The psychedelics drug development won’t be done for years. So in terms of having an impact now, that’s not the way to go,” Aidan Goth, who co-wrote the Founders Pledge report, told me.

He emphasized, though, that investing in global mental health during the pandemic is a worthy cause. Mental illness can feed into physical illness, and in itself may cause as much suffering as physical illness in some cases. It can also harm people’s ability to hold a job or care for their dependents. Plus, we should not fall prey to the misconception that mental health is a so-called first-world problem.

“We’ve looked at the burden of mental health globally, and it is a really, really big problem in lower- and middle-income countries as well. It’s not true that it’s just affecting people in high-income countries,” Goth said.

If you’re itching to improve people’s mental health while the pandemic is in full swing, you’d do well to invest in a project that gives you an immediate return on your investment. For that purpose, Founders Pledge recommends a couple of organizations: StrongMinds and Action for Happiness.

There’s a serious lack of mental health professionals in many developing countries in Africa. StrongMinds, a Uganda-based organization, understood that in order to treat the millions of African women suffering from depression, it would have to train laypeople.

Since its founding in 2013, it’s scaled up pretty quickly. Lay facilitators have led group talk therapy sessions reaching a total of 70,000 women. Over a 12-week period, the women learn to identify the triggers of their depression and devise strategies to overcome them.

As demonstrated in two randomized controlled trials, this is a powerful and cost-effective intervention, Founders Pledge researchers say. They estimate that StrongMinds prevents the equivalent of one year of severe major depressive disorder for a woman at a cost of around $248 — a pretty good deal, especially when you consider this helps the woman as well as her dependents.

StrongMinds says it is “uniquely positioned” to meet the demand for depression treatment in sub-Saharan Africa during the pandemic. It’s offering teletherapy, a chatbot, and other treatment approaches in line with social distancing requirements.

Like StrongMinds, Action for Happiness brings people together in small groups and it’s run by volunteers in each local community. But this one is a UK-based organization that mostly operates in Europe, though it’s also reached countries like the US and Australia.

Action for Happiness provides eight-week courses, called Exploring What Matters, where participants talk through strategies for crafting a happier life, such as developing a mindfulness practice. The course has been shown to improve subjective well-being, with reductions in depression and anxiety and increases in happiness and life satisfaction. Based on a randomized controlled trial, Founders Pledge found this program to be extremely cost-effective, with high potential for scale-up.

During the pandemic, Action for Happiness has gone from in-person courses to virtual ones, launching a free online coaching program to improve wellbeing.

Given that Founders Pledge evaluated StrongMinds and Action for Happiness before the pandemic, you might wonder whether these organizations are still helping people cost-effectively now that they’ve had to shift from an in-person to an online methodology.

Goth explained that when Founders Pledge researchers evaluate an organization, they examine not only the specific programs it’s running but also the organization as a whole — whether its leadership is strong and whether its management can be trusted to competently carry out its mission. So the researchers still believe in StrongMinds’ and Action for Happiness’s ability to serve people effectively now.

“We trust that they’re well-run and we think they’re doing good work given the circumstances,” Goth said. “They’re the best we’re aware of.”

If this cause speaks to you, you can donate to StrongMinds here or donate to Action for Happiness here.

The case for funding psychedelics to treat mental health

Scientists are developing psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, into a treatment for depression.

www.vox.com

 

[mr peabody]

Psilocybin could work as a mental health treatment*

by Katie Hunt | CNN | 7 Nov 2020

While magic mushrooms are known for their psychedelic effects, they may also have a role to play in the treatment of some mental health problems.

Or they might, if they weren't illegal in most states.

Oregon has become the first US state to make psilocybin, the psychedelic compound in magic mushrooms, legal for mental health treatment in supervised settings.

They have more evidence for their case with a new small study of 24 adults with major depression that published this week in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, which found that two doses of psilocybin led to a large reduction in depressive symptoms.

"The magnitude of the effect we saw was about four times larger than what clinical trials have shown for traditional antidepressants on the market," said Alan Davis, an adjunct assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in a news statement.

"Because most other depression treatments take weeks or months to work and may have undesirable effects, this could be a game changer if these findings hold up in future 'gold-standard' placebo-controlled clinical trials."

While not without limitations, the study is the latest research to explore how psilocybin could help ease mental health problems. Other studies have suggested that the compound may help in the treatment of anorexia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and addictions.

The participants in the John Hopkins study had experienced depression for around two years before being recruited and had to give up existing antidepressants. Thirteen participants received the psilocybin treatment immediately after being enrolled, and 11 participants were put on a waiting list and received the same treatment after an eight-week delay.

The study offered more evidence of psilocybin's "rapid and powerful effect," said David Nutt, a professor and director of the neuropsychopharmacology unit in the division of brain sciences at Imperial College London. The results could have been skewed by the fact that patients knew they were going to get the drug, with expectations potentially increasing the size of the effect, said Nutt, who wasn't involved with the research.

A 2016 study conducted by some of the same John Hopkins researchers found that psilocybin could ease depression and anxiety in patients who had life-threatening cancer.

"Because there are several types of major depressive disorders that may result in variation in how people respond to treatment, I was surprised that most of our study participants found the psilocybin treatment to be effective," said Roland Griffiths, an author of the new study and the 2016 paper, and a professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research.

Psilocybin can produce visual and auditory effects and profound changes in consciousness over a few hours after ingestion, the study said.

In the United States, possession of the compound is a felony, as they are classified as a Schedule I substance.

The vote in Oregon requires the Oregon Health Authority to allow licensed, regulated production and possession of psilocybin, exclusively for administration by licensed facilitators to clients.

How psilocybin might affect the brain

How psilocybin affects the brain still isn't completely understood, but Nutt at Imperial College said that it appeared the compound disrupted negative thinking circuits through the 5HT2Z receptor in the brain.

"Standard anti-depressants protect against the stressors that lead to and perpetuate depression but don't directly access and remedy underlying biopsychosocial causes," he wrote in a paper he coauthored and published earlier this year.

"In contrast, psychedelic therapy harnesses a therapeutic window opened up by the brain via the effects of drugs to facilitate insight and emotional release."

He said that the substance tended to work with "internalizing disorders" like depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder whereby individuals ruminate on failings or intrusive thoughts.

Another explanation could be more straighforwardly pharmacological, said Guy Goodwin, a professor emeritus of psychiatry at the University of Oxford -- that psilocybin "is just a kick up the backside" of the serotonin system. Serotonin is a chemical and neurotransmitter in the digestive system, brain and blood system that regulates mood, social behavior, appetite, sleep, memory and sexual function.

Goodwin, who wasn't involved with the research, said the main limitation of the John Hopkins study was the absence of longer-term follow-up -- the team followed up with the participants only four weeks after the treatment. Depression for many people is a long-term condition, and determining if the treatment had lasting effects is a key missing factor.

"What's more, with studies like these, it can be hard to tease out the effects of the drug from the process of administering it," Goodwin said.

The study participants received about 11 hours of psychotherapy and received the drug under the care of trained professionals and in a setting designed to put the patient at ease.

"You get an effect irrespective of whether the treatment works because everyone is caring for you and looking out for you and measuring things. People like that and feel better for that. In a real comparison you'd do everything the same but the actual drugs."

However, he said that larger studies were underway that should address the questions raised by early proof of concept studies like this one.

"This is a nice, small preliminary study with a lot of weaknesses but equally the positive results promise better things."

*From the article here:

'Magic mushroom' ingredient could work as mental health treatment

As Oregon has become the first US state to make psilocybin -- the hallucinogenic compound in magic mushrooms -- legal for mental health treatment in supervised settings, a new study finds it works to address depression sympto.

www.cnn.com

 

[mr peabody]

Psychedelics and mental health: A population study

by Sonja Henrikssen | Reality Sandwish | 10 Oct 2020

People throughout the Americas and around the world have used psychedelics like LSD and psilocybin for centuries. But despite countless positive accounts from experienced psychedelic users, some still question whether psychedelics could be hazardous to mental health. General panic relating to the use of “illicit” drugs stigmatizes all substances. It also lumps psychedelics in with opioids, cocaine, and alcohol abuse.

The idea of linking psychedelics to psychosis has become a popular one among the uninitiated and uninformed. This, despite the fact that there’s little to no evidence to associate mental health problems with psychedelic drug use.

Researchers from the Department of Neuroscience at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim surveyed more than 130,000 participants in order to collect data regarding lifetime psychedelic use and mental health. They published this population study as a result of their research. Of the surveyed participants, a little more than 13%, or around 21,967 participants, reported having used psychedelics at some point in their lifetime.

Those individuals who self-reported psychedelic drug use did not have a higher incidence of mental health problems. Nor did they report seeking help for their mental health at a higher rate than those that did not report lifetime psychedelic use. To corroborate these findings, another study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology further assessed the original population study. It examined how higher incidents of childhood trauma and additional substance use could impact the overall results. The final conclusions of both studies were the same.
​

“The study shows, in agreement with previous studies, that we probably have exaggerated the danger of the use of psychedelics in general, and LSD in particular, at least if we are to judge on the basis of drug laws.”
—Jørgen Bramness​

Psychedelics and Mental Health: A Population Study | Reality Sandwich

Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology published a population study on psychedelic use and mental health.

realitysandwich.com

 

[mr peabody]

Psychedelic Therapy: Age-old remedy in today’s fight against mental illness*

by Psychedelic Times Staff | Oct 9, 2020

“For me, I feel it really saved my life,” says Numinus CEO, Payton Nyquvest, in a recent interview with CityNews TV. What Nyquvest is referring to is psilocybin, a psychoactive compound found in several species of mushrooms and believed by many to be effective in treating mental health issues including anxiety and depression.

After experiencing what he felt was a cure to his chronic pain, Nyquvest chose to dedicate his life to making psychedelics accessible to treat the pain and suffering caused by mental illness. This dedication resulted in the formation of Numinus, a Vancouver-based health care company supporting the universal desire to heal and be well through an ecosystem of health solutions centered around the evidence-based, accessible use of psychedelic-assisted therapies.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 264 million people are affected by depression worldwide. Barriers to accessing proper treatment including lack of resources, trained professionals, and diagnosis, result in roughly 85% of those affected being left untreated. Numinus informs that in Canada alone, an estimated $51B in annual economic burden results from mental illness with 1 in 2 Canadians affected by mental health issues by the age of 40.

Statistics like these are the reason medical professionals and governments alike are coming together to research, develop, and expand access to wider modalities of treatment to enhance existing options.

The revelation that psychedelics can be used to manage and treat mental illness is not a new one. Such approaches were catalyzed by chemist Albert Hofmann’s discovery of lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD or colloquially as acid, in 1943, which sparked the widespread discovery of and research on other psychedelics and their impact on human psychology through the 1950s and 1960s, using human subjects. The results of these studies were published in hundreds of academic papers.

However, this burgeoning research came to an end when the black market became as interested in the substances as professional institutions were, resulting in the manufacturing and distribution of uncontrolled substances that caused a number of “bad trips” and inevitable catastrophes. Such catastrophes, including hallucinations, anxiety, panic attacks, aggression, depression, and (albeit infrequent) homicide cases, received widespread negative publicity.

What is it they say about the path to hell? In this case, it really was paved with good intentions; however, these good intentions did not get to see the light of day as the United States passed the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, placing LSD, psilocybin, and other psychedelic substances in the restricted drug category. President Nixon’s War on Drugs successfully dampened (if not terminated) government funding for the research of new projects in the psychedelic realm.

Despite lack of government funding, a handful of prominent scientists, including Albert Hofmann, continued their research discreetly while non-profit organizations came forward to advocate for such research beginning in the 1980s. This resurgence continued into the 1990s and 2000s, leading to the present day. Today, scientists and researchers are once again studying psychedelics for their potential use in treating mental health conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Unlike the studies of the 1940s-60s, such research is now conducted in highly controlled environments.

A 2011 study focused on the effects of psilocybin therapy on patients with advanced-stage cancer and anxiety, finding that patients demonstrated reduced stress and anxiety as well as improved moods 2 weeks after treatment. A more recent study conducted by NYU on cancer patients revealed that after six and a half months, 60% – 80% of patients “…showed clinically significant reductions in depression, anxiety, and existential distress and improved attitudes towards death.”

These current advances beg the question, where would we be today if the War on Drugs hadn’t impacted psychedelic research of the past? Would we now be experiencing this global epidemic of mental health issues if psychedelic research had continued and these treatments had been incorporated into our health care system?

Companies such as Numinus are now striving to provide safe, evidence-based psychedelic-assisted therapies in conjunction with existing solutions to help people heal and to unburden the world of the pain and consequences of mental health and addictions. Despite psilocybin being popularly referred to as “magic mushrooms”, Numinus CEO Nyquvest comments that “these are not magic pills; it takes a lot of work and a lot of therapy around it, but we believe there is a very big opportunity to make a huge impact in mental health.”

Legalizing the use of psychedelics such as psilocybin therapy in safe, controlled, therapeutic environments to treat mental health conditions opens the door to revolutionary advancements in healing potential for countless individuals around the world who suffer from mental illness. Though psychedelics R&D underwent a few dark decades of prohibition, Numinus, amongst others, is now part of a rapidly growing industry that is shaping the way forward – towards a world where safe treatments, open dialogue, and education can be made accessible to the general public to help people heal and be well.

*From the article here:

Psilocybin Therapy: An Age-Old Remedy Making Its Comeback In Today’s Fight Against Mental Illness - Psychedelic Times

Psilocybin therapy is poised to revolutionize the field of mental health, particularly for releiving chronic depression.

psychedelictimes.com