The active molecule in magic mushrooms that causes the
psychedelic high is called psilocybin. Psilocybin acts on serotonin receptors
in multiple parts of the brain which cause an altered mental state and
hallucinations. While recreational use has been around for a long time, there
has been a large interest in the possible benefits of psilocybin on different
mental health disorders. There is a history of psychedelic research in the 1970s that focused largely on LSD. Due to some of the ethical concerns surrounding the research, research was stopped until the 1990s when research was again approved with large amounts of regulation. 60 minutes did an entire special on new psilocybin
research on anxiety and addiction in October (CBS News, 2019). There are multiple small
studies that have found decreased anxiety with controlled psilocybin exposure
(Daniel, J. & Haberman, M., 2017). Psilocybin has also been shown to benefit
patient’s with various addictions including nicotine and alcohol in abstinence (Daniel,
J. et. al, 2017). People exposed have consistently rated their psilocybin experience as
one of the most meaningful experiences of their life and it may contribute to
its efficacy with addiction. Originally research was focused on anxiety and
depression with cancer patients. It is better or unethical to research this
population? The terminal cancer populations originally a part of this research
had situational depression due to cancer diagnosis. Would we consider this
population vulnerable or would we say the possible benefits outweigh the risks
if their cancer is terminal? There is also concern about the conclusions from these
studies as many have had small samples sizes which decreases the validity and ability
to generalize the findings. There are also concerns about publicizing this data
because it may increase recreational use and possible death due to actions while
high. Also, there are concerns about increasing certain psychiatric disorders
including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder with psilocybin exposure although studies do not suggest a
causation to date. Given the complexity and unknown side effects of psilocybin,
do the possible benefits for patients outweigh the unknown risks given the
limited treatment options and efficacy of treatment options currently available
for anxiety and depression?
CBS News. (2019, October 10). Active agent in magic
mushrooms could treat addiction, depression and anxiety. Retrieved from
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/psilocybin-active-agent-in-magic-mushrooms-could-treat-addiction-depression-and-anxiety-60-minutes-2019-10-10/.
Daniel, J., & Haberman, M. (2017). Clinical potential of
psilocybin as a treatment for mental health conditions. Mental Health Clinician, 7(1), 24–28. doi: 10.9740/mhc.2017.01.024
Hi Sarah, I really enjoyed reading your post as I feel like this topic is becoming more and more prevalent nowadays especially considering that Colorado voted on decriminalizing magic mushrooms. For me personally, I feel like the possible benefits would outweigh the risks if one had terminal cancer. If I had terminal cancer, I would definitely be willing to give this a try to see if it improved any symptoms and hope for a better quality of life.
ReplyDeleteIn relatively recent study, 51 cancer patients that presented life-threatening diagnoses and had symptoms of depressions and/or anxiety were observed to analyze the effects of psilocybin. Two different doses (high dose vs low dose) were administered in a random, double-blind, cross-over trial (Griffiths et al., 2016). It was noted that the high dose of psilocybin caused a significant decrease in both clinician and self-rated measures of depressed mood and anxiety while it increased in quality of life and optimism meaning that the anxiety of death decreased (Griffiths et al., 2016). Even after a 6-month follow up, the changes that were seen previously remained with 80% of the patients showing a decrease in their depressed mood and anxiety (Griffiths et al., 2016).
I do agree though that the overall numbers in the studies done are still low and there should be more research into this before making conclusive assumptions of the positive effects of psilocybin.
Reference:
Griffiths, R. R., Johnson, M. W., Carducci, M. A., Umbricht, A., Richards, W. A., Richards, B. D., … Klinedinst, M. A. (2016). Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial. Journal of Psychopharmacology (Oxford, England), 30(12), 1181–1197. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881116675513