Psychedelic drugs, or hallucinogens, are chemical substances that are known to induce hallucinations and other sensory disturbances. Among them, one of the most well-known is psilocybin, a naturally-occurring hallucinogenic and psychoactive compound. Magic Mushrooms, also known as “shrooms” in more colloquial terms, are mushrooms that contain this psilocybin.
Currently, psilocybin is classified as a Schedule I drug, which means that it is considered as a drug that has a high potential for misuse and has no medically accepted use of treatment in the United States.
However, these hallucinogenic drugs have recently had a moment. Particularly, researchers from John Hopkins University have recently pushed for the reclassification of psilocybin for medical use because they believe that it has the potential to pave the way for psychedelic drugs to treat depression, anxiety, PTSD, and even addiction. They are striving to have psilocybin reclassified from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule IV drug, which would legally allow it to be used in medical treatments.
Before the Food and Drug Administration is allowed to petition for the reclassification, there has to be clear, comprehensive studies that demonstrate the safety of the drug, and this could take several years. Nevertheless, this may be sooner then it seems.
According to a study led by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center, a single dose of psychedelic mushrooms in combination with psychologic counseling decrease(d) the mental anguish of cancer patients for several months. Specifically, this hallucinogenic drug treatement, which required federal waivers because of its banned state, brought stress relief for over 6 months at a time for 80% of the 29 cancer patients. This is noteworthy because this shows that these psychedelics are better and more comprehensive treatment than conventional anti-depressants, and could also be a powerful new therapy for a host of other mental illnesses, such as food disorders.
“If larger clinical trials prove successful, then we could ultimately have available a safe, effective, and inexpensive medication—dispensed under strict control—to alleviate the distress that increases suicide rates among cancer patients,” says Ross, also an associate professor of psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine.
Something that parallels with this shift in the attitudes towards the use of certain illegal drugs is the legalization of marijuana. People first began to see the various benefits of the medicinal use of marijuana for people with anxiety, arthritis, and other ailments. Similarly, both scientists and patients have been reconsidering the use of “magic mushrooms” for combating depression and anxiety. In addition, studies are constantly and continuously being revealed to show the immense effects these drugs have on alleviating mental ailments. It would be indefensible to ignore the weight of the evidence.
In reality, much of the neuroscience behind the “magic mushrooms” actually remains unknown. Certain MRI scans of the brains of patients after receiving psilocybin has shown a decreased blood flow and activity in the amygdala, a region of the brain that is associated with emotional processes and often overactive during stages of anxiety and depression. In other words, the brain seems to be “resetting” itself through the psilocybin. Also, researchers from Imperial College London believe that psilocybin is a special case among the current treatments: if modern antidepressants are able to dull the emotions of people, psilocybin is able to increase emotional responses by working on the serotonin system. This explains the effectiveness of the drug because it encourages people to actively confront their depression, which is a massive shift in their mindset.
Psilocybin is not a drug that simply alleviates the struggles of mental illness. Unlike other treatments, it allows the patients to actively participate in their resistance. According to the World Health Organization, more than 300 million people suffer from globally in the world and many of these most serious cases are not being helped by simple antidepressants.
What are the drawbacks of such an effective drug? Since it was classified as a Schedule I drug in the first place, it is crucial that psilocybin is only used in a strictly controlled setting. There are also several floating questions about the drug. What kind of complications can arise? Why do some patients not hallucinogenic effects of the drug? Can it trigger latent schizophrenia?
Nonetheless, the numerous studies being done on these “magic mushrooms” seem to all favor the use of these drugs. It seems like it will only be a matter of time before psilocybin, not to mention other psychedelics, change the way we treat mental suffering and understand our minds. 📷📷
Works Cited
Harrison, Rachel. “The Underground World of Psychedelics and the Potential of Plant Medicine.” NYU, 19 June 2018, https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2018/june/the-underground-world-of-psychedelics-and-the-potential-of-plant.html.
Hartney, Elizabeth. “Magic Mushrooms: Everything You've Been Afraid to Ask.” Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 15 Sept. 2019, https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-magic-mushrooms-22085.
Hartney, Elizabeth. “How Psychedelic or Hallucinogenic Drugs Work.” Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 28 June 2019, https://www.verywellmind.com/what-are-psychedelics-22075.
Holson, Laura. “Psychedelic Mushrooms Are Closer to Medicinal Use (It's Not Just Your Imagination).” The New York Times, The New York Times, 3 Oct. 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/03/science/magic-mushrooms-psilocybin-scheduleiv.html#.
Jacobs, Josh. “'They Broke My Mental Shackles': Could Magic Mushrooms Be the Answer to Depression?” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 10 June 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jun/10/magic-mushrooms-treatment-depression-aztecs-psilocybin-mental-health-medicine.
Ross, Stephen, et al. “Single Dose of Hallucinogenic Drug Psilocybin Relieves Anxiety & Depression in Patients with Advanced Cancer.” NYU Langone News, https://nyulangone.org/news/single-dose-hallucinogenic-drug-psilocybin-relieves-anxiety-depression-patients-advanced-cancer.
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