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Psilocybin 'promising' for depression

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Psilocybin 'promising' for depression

#91

Post by dannyw »

alexf95 wrote: post #52

I feel like there will also people that have way too many prejudices towards these kinds of "drugs" because that's simply how we learned it. "Don't take drugs kids". These studies are very helpful especially when shared over general media, but the consumption has to be supervised and controlled to not have overdoses and ruin the whole reputation again. It should be treated like any other anti-depressant, since they a…

We need to change the message from "don't take drugs" to "if you choose to take drugs, take them responsibly".

Start with low doses, don't mix (alcohol,benzo,opiates), and remember that unless taken therapeutically, drugs should be an occasional party thing and not an escapism for life.

It's also totally fine to not do drugs. I'm going sober (except a beer or two) for an indefinite period of time, just because that's what I feel like.

Maybe I'll go on a mushroom trip for new years eve, who knows, but drugs shouldn't define your life.

Re: Psilocybin 'promising' for depression

#92

Post by rednum »

acchow wrote: post #50
internetslave wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know a lot of people whose minds were ruined by psychedelics. It’s something you will see when you spend time in those communities. It doesn’t happen to everyone, but it’s common.

In what way were their minds ruined?

Not OP, but I've met people that seemed to sort of lost their agency and ambition, because their psychedelic insight was that the universe will sort everything out on its own. Though maybe the causality is the other way round here - they were not ambitious in the first place and psychedelic insight helped rationalise that.

Also disclaimer: I'm not trying to discourage or encourage people from psychedelics. Personally I believe they should not be criminalised, but people should be cautious using them.

Re: Psilocybin 'promising' for depression

#93

Post by disgruntledphd2 »

singingfish wrote: post #89
internetslave wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know a lot of people whose minds were ruined by psychedelics. It’s something you will see when you spend time in those communities. It doesn’t happen to everyone, but it’s common.

You'd want to be clear on how much of that was caused by the setting in which they took psychedelics before making a pronouncement.

Setting is definitely important, as is choice. One of the big problems with illegal psychedelics is that people aren't sure what they are getting. For instance, DOB and MDMA both come in pill form, but have wildly different effects.

Some of the worst outcomes I've seen have come when one drug is believed to be another, and this is something that decriminalisation would definitely help with.

That being said, psychedelics have traditionally been combined with ritual, and the lack of said rituals can be a big impediment to useful results.

Re: Psilocybin 'promising' for depression

#94

Post by diimdeep »

tpm wrote: post #22
diimdeep wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This 'news' is scheduled 'blogspam', this article links to prev. article with exactly the same premise and that posted exactly 1 month earlier (15 april, 15 march), while both based on ~2018 research. Moving on.

No, it's based on an article that just came out in NEJM: Trial of Psilocybin versus Escitalopram for Depression https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2032994

> dii

ok, thanks for correcting me.

Re: Psilocybin 'promising' for depression

#95

Post by krageon »

dTal wrote: post #83
theelous3 wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are saying they do work, but only when they are implemented. They are unimplemented when the numbers get low, which causes them to go back up, and has the effect of starting the cycle again.

No, they are saying that lockdowns do nothing and any appearance that they do is backwards causality: "restrictions are follow[sic] the case numbers, but we have convinced ourselves it is the other way around". They're wrong, but that's what they're saying.

This is also what I read in it, which I found a little strange of a stance given what we know works for the flu.

Re: Psilocybin 'promising' for depression

#96

Post by jerrygoyal »

mahathu wrote: post #86
ceilingcorner wrote: post #9

I don’t want to live in a world where the solution to depression (caused by governments, politicians, or general existence in the modern capitalist world) is a drug. Not a good idea. Instead, figure out why depression has increased so dramatically in the last ~century and address that.

> why depression has increased so dramatically in the last ~century and address that has it? Were our current guidelines to diagnose depressive episodes with around a century ago?

> has it?

an anecdote but i think yes. pre-internet you wouldn't know what's happening outside of your community. Now, internet (IG, tiktok, fb, TechCrunch) surfaces the best of the world before your eyes.. it's a constant reminder there exist better people in whatever area you value (could be a skill, appearance, material things)

Re: Psilocybin 'promising' for depression

#98

Post by o_p »

ButtSpark69 wrote: post #20
Gatsky wrote: post #15

The study was just published in the most prestigious medical journal in the world [1]. Whatever you think of the study, this is rather significant. If you told me even 2 years ago there would be a randomised trial of magic mushrooms in NEJM, I would not have believed it for even a second. One point not to miss is that they screened 1000 patients to come up with the study population of 59. Nevertheless, I consider the…

"If you told me even 2 years ago there would be a randomised trial of magic mushrooms in NEJM, I would not have believed it for even a second." In a lot of ways, that's completely depressing for how slowly we've come as a species.

Maybe some mushrooms could help you with that

Re: Psilocybin 'promising' for depression

#99

Post by pbadenski »

internetslave wrote: post #8
simonswords82 wrote: post #7

I have a friend who has experienced magic mushrooms recreationally about half a dozen times in her 20s. After each trip she reported feeling clear headed and more mindful - she described it as though her mind's harddrive had been defragmented. Fast forward 10 years and that same friend felt low during lockdown over the past 12 months. After reading up online she decided to try microdosing mushrooms rather than the ma…

I know a lot of people whose minds were ruined by psychedelics. It’s something you will see when you spend time in those communities. It doesn’t happen to everyone, but it’s common.

This type of empty fear mongering comment is unhelpful at best. It's a McDonalds of a comment. What's a lot of people? Why are psychedelics so special compared to anything else (sugar, Facebook, gambling). "It doesn't happen to everyone, but it's common" - what does this even mean? "Common" based on what criterion? How should our behaviour as a society change based on your comment?

Re: Psilocybin 'promising' for depression

#100

Post by nabla9 »

junon wrote: post #19
internetslave wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know a lot of people whose minds were ruined by psychedelics. It’s something you will see when you spend time in those communities. It doesn’t happen to everyone, but it’s common.

Why is this being downvoted? Studies are great, but let's not act like drugs are suddenly safe to use in all cases. I'm sure the studies didn't conclude that. Be pro-shrooms but don't act like they're safe in every case. Education is required before partaking in anything, let alone shrooms.

The subject has been studied. There is no good evidence supporting that. Cause and effect is not easy to separate and anecdotal evidence is just anecdotal.

People who are not well are known to 'self medicate'.

For example: Increase of alcohol use among people with preexisting problems is well documented. Link between tobacco use and schizophrenia is also well documented. See: "Smoking and schizophrenia" https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19794359/ "It has been suggested that smoking may be an attempt by schizophrenic patients to alleviate cognitive deficits and to reduce extrapyramidal side-effects induced by antipsychotic medication."

Psychedelics are not the type of drug people keep using if it harms them. If they don't work for you, you really don't want to do them again.

(ps. I would not recommend _regular_ drug use of any kind)

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