What does the research say about….

The idea for Consensus came from wanting instant answers to the question: “what does the science actually say about XYZ?”

Now that the product is alive, we will be sharing interesting things we learned using Consensus.

This week we are asking, what does the research say about….the mental health benefits of psychedelics?

• What are the mental health benefits of psychedelics?

Also try these drug specific queries:

• Psilocybin and mental health
• Can LSD be used for depression
• Which is more effective against depression, r-ketamine or s-ketamine?

How to Change Your Mind

You would be hard-pressed to find a subject that has gone from operating in the shadows to scientific notoriety faster than the usage of psychedelic drugs in the treatment of mental health disorders.

Starting with the famous Johns Hopkins studies in the early 2000’s and recently culminating with Michael Pollen’s fantastic Netflix docuseries “How to Change Your Mind” – psychedelics began the millennium as a counter-culture recreational drug and currently exist as a seemingly reputable intervention for some of today’s most prevalent mental health conditions.

It is important to note that these studies do not serve as any sort of recommendation and any usage should be done in consultation with a medical professional. Despite their observed benefits in a clinical setting, psychedelics are extremely powerful drugs that should be taken seriously and are not meant to be used by everyone.

Let’s dive into some studies:

• Reviews showing efficacy across conditions and types of drugs:
  • 2021 review of over 50 studies
  • 2019 review specifically focused on anxiety and depression
  • A highly cited review from 2019 found that benefits extend to non-laboratory use but noted the possibilities of negative outcomes
  • This review found an 80%(!) success rate of participants across 19 studies
• Drug specific studies:
  • Psilocybin has been shown to…
    • Improve measures of cancer-related anxiety
    • Treat depression by improving emotional responsiveness
    • Elicit mystical experience that result in increased well-being
    • Improve emotional and brain plasticity
  • LSD has been shown to…
    • Decrease anxiety related to life-threatening illness
    • Improve short and mid-term well-being
    • Increase many neurochemical markers of well-being
    • Improve alcoholism across 11 studies
  • Ketamine has been shown to…
    • Have minimal adverse effects and show promise against treatment-resistant depression
    • Induce rapid short-term improvements in depression
    • Have robust anti-depressive effects in animal models
    • Improve depression in about 30% of patients
• Other interesting studies:
  • Study indicating the unique lack of adverse events associated with psychedelics use
  • Study that showed users improvement in PHYSICAL health measures
  • 2013 study showing that psychedelics are not a risk factor for mental health disorders
  • This highly citied study from 2015 found psychedelics to be effective in suicide prevention
  • A study of 44,000 drug users showed that use of psychedelics was associated with decreased risk of drug addiction
  • A 2021 study suggested efficacy in treating racial trauma