With the number of people being diagnosed with mental health conditions only getting higher, the NHS is looking at alternative methods to get people the care they deserve
The NHS is reportedly investigating whether treating depression with magic mushrooms could be a viable option. It marks a major shift in scientific studies into things such as hallucinogens as boffins work to see if they are able to treat mental health conditions.
With the number of people suffering with the likes of depression, ADHD and other mental health problems only continuing to rise, doctors are now investigating whether prescribing hallucinogenic mushrooms could help. If tests go well, there is a possibility these could end up being given to patients on the NHS.
However, not everyone is happy with the hypothetical idea of treating depression with potentially dangerous psychedelics. It also could be the first step towards Britain’s total legalisation of drugs — albeit for medicinal purposes.
According to the BBC, magic mushrooms are being looked at as a potential treatment for depression, as well as other conditions, including obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and even addictions.
More and more scientific trials are seeing just how effectively psychedelics work to improve patients’ conditions. And the signs look promising — out of 20 conducted in recent years, only a few have found no clear benefit.
Britain’s medicinal regulator is waiting for the results of the trials so that it can look at the data and determine where to go next. If the studies continue to go well, there is a chance that restrictions could be loosened to allow for magic mushrooms to be used outside of trials.
Professor Oliver Hughes from the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Psychopharmacology Committee says it is an exciting time to explore these possibilities. He said: “One of the key messages is that this is something we desperately need – more treatments and better treatments for mental health disorders.
“These treatments are really interesting because they’ve shown promise in these small-scale studies… and have the potential to work quicker,” he added. However, he admitted that it is better to be cautious and wait for the results of the trials without “overhyping” the benefits.
Drug use has been a key form of treating mental health conditions for as long as humans have existed, according to the Beeb. In the modern era, the 1960s and 1970s were the peak time for drug use across the world.
Tests are now being carried out to see whether these types of drugs could be made available on the NHS, building on evidence from these trials. Scientists have said that, with regulatory approval, magic mushrooms could soon be a revolutionary way to treat our mental health.
“If psychedelic therapies prove to be both safe and more effective than current treatments, I would hope to see them made accessible via the NHS — rather than to just the privileged few who can afford them privately,” neuroscientist Dr Ravi Das said. “I hope if there’s sufficient evidence, the government will be open to revising the scheduling of these drugs.”
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