Compass Pathways has set itself up to be the first legal provider of psilocybin

Post by achileas » Fri, Jan 04, 2019, 8:39 PM UTC

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #105

ogoldhill wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At the moment, there's nowhere near enough research yet to know the potential downsides of using psilocybin to treat depression. So far, there's only been one study with 19 participants and no control group. It could be hugely successful or, as with any drug, it could come with possible side effects.

Only one study on psilocybin? Globally? Ever? That's kinda amazing; not even studies in v long-term [mental] health of [former] users? Edit: Google Scholar shows hundreds of studies, one on the first page (for me) has >700 citations.

Post by achileas » Fri, Jan 04, 2019, 8:42 PM UTC

sjg007 wrote: post #40

atomical wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The blind spot here is that no one really understands how it works or the long term implications. It may have a use for patients with treatment resistant medical conditions where the alternatives have failed or side-effects are intolerable. Why should healthy adults take this substance? Many of the so-called experts interviewed in Michel Pollan's new book took psilocybin and believed the experience revealed the inner…

Well... I think the oneness effect is interesting where people basically feel interconnected. Kind of like astronauts who see the world from space. That feeling should be a positive one. It's also not clear it is permanent. It may impact your degree of openness. What I've found interesting in his book is that the suggestions of the therapist lead basically influence the result. So if someone says what will happen on…

Post by adfm » Fri, Jan 04, 2019, 8:49 PM UTC

basseq wrote: post #87

perfmode wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Believe it or not, some people just want to make the world a better place. Profit motive _can_ help to motivate people if there is a lack of motivation. However, it is not true that there _must_ be profit motive. Right now, there is no lack of motivation to get this stuff out there. It is the questionable government prohibition that is holding things back.

The experts/critics seem to be questioning that motivation. They're implying that profit-motive (regardless of any other motive) is inherently bad.

Post by jjeaff » Fri, Jan 04, 2019, 9:02 PM UTC

rdiddly wrote: post #106

basseq wrote: post #35

This is an interesting article for HN. It's spun as a negative, using terms like "threatening", "monopoly", "controversial", and "retribution". You could write it the other way, where an immigrant-founded[1] startup is disrupting the mental health industry. Frankly, most of this seems like par for the course. Of course the company is seeking to push their product to market and commercial viability--and the potential…

You can spin it any way you want, but to me, expropriating the intellectual property of the non-profit (obtained under the pretense of being a non-profit) and exploiting it for private gain is the issue here. Even though that part is apparently legal. (Unless challenged in court somehow. We'll see.)

Post by ada1981 » Fri, Jan 04, 2019, 9:34 PM UTC

achileas wrote: post #110

ada1981 wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My understanding is that much of mental illness is caused by unprocessed trauma and the way in which we process trauma is in altered states. This is why various pathways like ayahuasca, mushrooms, LSD, mdma, Holotropic Breathwork, EDMR etc all work from vary different pathways — they all enduce an altered state, in which the nervous system releases the experience and forms new pathways.

Many of those (specifically ayahuasca, psilocybin, and LSD) all work on very similar pathways and structures. MDMA works on different ones and produces are markedly different experience and isn't usually considered a psychedelic.