Depression is one of the most prevalent mental illnesses globally today. According to the WHO, about 280 million people worldwide suffer from depression. Major depressive disorder (MDD) affects around 16 million adults in the U.S. each year.

Depression is also a leading cause of disability in the world nowadays. Long-lasting depression with moderate to severe symptoms can impair the affected person's ability to function at work, school, and social interactions. In its most severe form, depression can lead to suicide.

Nearly 800,000 people die by suicide each year in the world.

Can Depression be Treated?

No matter how severe, depression is a treatable mental health condition. It is possible to get help for depression and other mental health issues. Most traditional treatments for depression involve antidepressant medications and psychotherapy. 

However, there are novel treatment options based on recent scientific research that are gaining more and more attention. One of these treatments is psychedelic therapy for depression.

What is Psychedelic Therapy?

Psychedelic therapy involves using plants and chemical compounds such as psilocybin or LSD to treat depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and some other mental health issues.

Scientists are still trying to figure out how psychedelics can help people with mental health problems. However, some studies show that psychedelics can alleviate some of the symptoms of mental illness.

Psychedelics most often used in this type of treatment are psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine, and LSD.

Psilocybin is a hallucinogenic substance found in more than 200 different mushrooms that grow in South America, Mexico, the U.S., and Europe. The most popular is Psilocybe Mexicana, better known as the magic mushroom.

The therapeutic use of psychedelics has just recently been explored. However, they have been used for spiritual and medical purposes since ancient times.

Conditions that can potentially benefit from psychedelic therapy include:

• Depression and treatment-resistant depression

• Anxiety

• Eating disorders

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder

• Addiction

• Post-traumatic stress disorder

• Terminal illnesses

Psychedelics and Traditional Talk Therapy

Mental health disorders are traditionally treated with medications, psychotherapy, or, most commonly, their combination.

Unfortunately, even after taking antidepressants and undergoing talk therapy, some people still experience depression symptoms. This condition is in medicine known as treatment-resistant depression.

New research suggests that psychedelics may improve the effectiveness of conventional mental health treatments. In addition, psychedelic therapy for depression (also known as psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy or PAP) may be beneficial when other treatment options haven't worked for the person who has depression.

According to evidence-based research, small doses of psilocybin have been demonstrated to be beneficial in the therapy of treatment-resistant depression.

Namely, a study on 16 patients with treatment-resistant depression showed that psilocybin therapy showed immediate and lasting antidepressant effects.

Although it is not clear how psychedelics have such a profound effect, the results may come from the mystical experience they cause, a change in a person's perception, or the reset of the brain's neurotransmitter levels psychedelics cause.

That is, a clinical trial has found that micro-doses of psilocybin alter activity levels in the temporal cortex and amygdala, two brain regions linked to depression.

Participants in the study who took psilocybin said that it made them want to face painful memories and feelings, unlike other treatments that made them sleepy.

Potential Risks

Psychedelics trigger extreme changes in consciousness. Such changes in the brain can have severe side effects, such as:

• Psychosis: in people with psychotic disorders or a predisposition to them.

• Cardiovascular problems: because psychedelics can cause an increase in blood pressure and heart rate.

• Also, psilocybin can cause headaches: due to the use of psilocybin.

• An increase in body temperature: after the use of MDMA.

• Fear: some people may experience terrifying hallucinations that can cause trauma.

Summary

Although it is still an experimental treatment, psychedelic therapy has shown promising results in clinical trials for the treatment of depression, PTSD, anxiety, and addiction, according to recent research.

Due to the failure of traditional treatments or possible quick solutions, an increasing number of people show interest in psychedelic therapy for mental illness.

While they can have possible side effects, most studies report very few or no adverse reactions to psychedelics.

As more research is conducted, this may lead to innovations and improvements in therapeutic approaches to depression, making psychedelics widely available. 

 In the meantime, if you are interested in trying psychedelic treatment for mental illness, you should speak with your health provider about enrolling in a clinical trial.

If you’re interested in knowing more about the effects of depression, or if depression therapy could be right for you, please feel free to contact me or visit my depression therapy page.