Psilocybin Found In Magic Mushrooms Can Treat Depression: Study

By R. Siva Kumar - 18 May '16 10:05AM

Magic mushrooms can really make you happy, according to a new study by Imperial College London researchers. Psilocybin, a hallucinogenic chemical found in magic mushrooms, holds promise with the potential to heal people who have untreatable depression. Examining 12 people, the study found that eight were no longer depressed, and after three months, five of the eight remained free of depression.

In the beginning, nine of the patients were found to suffer from severe depression, with three being moderately depressed, and one of them suffering from a depression lasting for 30 years. All of them had tried two different treatments, one had attempted 11 but with no success.

At first, they were given low doses of the psilocybin, as they wanted to check that the patients reacted to the magic mushrooms safely. Later, they were given a very high dose to induce a "psychedelic experience" lasting for six hours even as they got exposed to classical music as well as psychological support during the experience.

"These experiences with psilocybin can be incredibly profound, sometimes people have what they describe as mystical or spiritual-type experiences," said Robin Carhart-Harris of Imperial College London and first author of the study.

The side effects for patients, such as anxiety, nausea and headaches were expected. Yet most of them showed a rapid decline in depression.

"Seeing effect sizes of this magnitude is very promising, they are very large effect sizes in any available treatment for depression," Carhart-Harris said. "We now need larger trials to understand whether the effects we saw in this study translate into long-term benefits."

David Nutt, also from the Imperial College London and co-author of the study, explains that those who get depressed tend to be extremely self-critical, with negative thinking. Magic mushrooms can be a "lubricant for the mind" permitting patients to break these thought processes.

The findings were published online May 17 in The Lancet Psychiatry.