Can Psychedelics Be The New Antidepressants?
- Anahita Anais
- Jun 21, 2021
- 1 min read
While psychedelics have been the subject of stigma for many decades, renewed research and interest in this space is rocking the world of psychiatry by offering new effective breakthrough therapies for the treatment of depression amongst a list of other common mental health disorders.
The Scientific American recently published a comprehensive article exploring the growing evidence and use of psychedelics as antidepressants.
"As far as outcomes go, psychedelics in combination with psychotherapy are remarkably efficient at treating depression. Compared to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, the current gold standard in antidepressant medication, psychedelics have a faster effect on patients, sometimes effective with only a single therapy session. On the other hand, anti-depressants often take weeks before a reversal of depression is observed."
"Psychedelics also have a longer-lasting effect than an SSRI regimen. A 2015 study of more than 190,000 Americans demonstrated that past history of psychedelic use decreases the odds of suicidal thoughts or actions over the course of a lifetime, whereas a history of other drug use (such as sedatives or inhalants) increases these risks."
