Could Psychedelics Be the Future for Addiction and Mental Health Treatment?

The conversation surrounding psychedelics has opened up in recent years.  As new research shows that substances such as mescaline, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and psilocybin produce beneficial effects in those struggling with addiction and mental health conditions alike, they are being destigmatized as life-threatening drugs and recontextualized as the new frontier of modern medicine.

But could psychedelics be the future for addiction and mental health treatment? We explore that very question here.

Drugs and Medicine

There has been a notable push to utilize drugs in controlled, medical ways within the last few years. Medical marijuana, for example, has been legalized in many US states. The UK government has also downgraded it to a Schedule II substance so that specialists can prescribe it to those who may benefit from it.

This breakthrough was followed by the introduction of esketamine nasal spray for adults with severe, treatment-resistant depression. This treatment uses a form of esketamine, or ketamine as it is otherwise known, to block the N-Methyl-D-aspartic acid (NDMA) receptor pathway in the brain, which is thought to play an important role in depression. Unlike other antidepressant medications, esketamine works within hours rather than weeks.

Now it appears that psychedelics are stepping into center stage. Thanks to consistent work by researchers including David Nutt, psychedelics are being rebranded as substances that could be beneficial in treating addiction and mental health. While more research is needed before these treatments become mainstream, the advances that have been made within recent years are noteworthy.

How Do Psychedelics Work?

Psychedelic drugs interact with the brain, binding to serotonin receptors that influence our feelings. It is thought that this action creates the hallucinatory effects that psychedelics are known for, such as altering perception and heightening awareness.

Psychedelics are also thought to influence the default mode network, a system of brain regions that are active when at wakeful rest, such as when daydreaming. In people with anxiety and depression, the default mode network can be somewhat rigid, but psychedelic drugs help to create an altered sense of perspective.

These effects can also produce remarkable results in those suffering from addiction and mental illness. Not only do they appear to be incredibly effective in clinical trials, but they also appear to have limited side effects, unlike selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and other antidepressants, even though they produce the same results.

Psychedelics and Mental Health

Drug trials are being conducted to assess how effective psychedelics are in the treatment of mental health. Studies have considered how psychedelics can reduce anxiety in those with terminal illnesses, with one Swiss study finding that LSD-assisted psychotherapy sessions significantly reduced their state anxiety – anxiety caused by the state a person is in.

While it is not a psychedelic, MDMA is being used in a US-based clinical trial to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The results so far have been overwhelmingly positive, with those who received a combination of MDMA and supportive therapy vastly improving over the control group.

MDMA, like psychedelic substances, increases the amount of serotonin produced in the brain. According to Dr. Stephen Bright, a psychologist and lecturer at Edith Cowan University, this release of serotonin “seems to turn on parts of the prefrontal cortex associated with language, and that might be why people are able to talk about experiences they haven’t been able to.”

Addiction Treatment

Psychedelics were used in addiction research and treatment in the 1950s and 60s. However, they were outlawed, partially in response to the hippie movement of the 1970s. After a long period of being swept under the rug, they are once again being considered for addiction treatment. Multiple studies have been facilitated to assess how to administer psychedelics as an effective treatment and combine them with therapeutic practices to achieve the best results.

One study in New Mexico analyzed how psychedelics could treat alcohol dependence utilizing psilocybin to monitor how it affected alcohol consumption. In combination with therapy, the results showed that heavy drinking days reduced to less than half of what was reported at the start of the study.

Another study in British Columbia focused on how ayahuasca – a plant-based substance containing psychoactive substance DMT – could treat alcohol and cocaine addiction. It revealed significant improvements in mental health and a reduction in the use of addictive substances after six months, with no lasting adverse side effects.

Conclusion

While this isn’t the first time that psychedelic substances have been used in medical research, there is now a more significant opportunity for change to be made. As substance abuse and mental health conditions increase, the demand for new and innovative ways to treat them rises.

Psychedelics present a viable option for future treatment of these issues. As new evidence arises, myths surrounding psychedelics can be debunked, and new paradigms of addiction and mental health treatment can be created.

Resources

  1. https://www.cmaj.ca/content/187/14/1054
  2. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01336-3

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