Depression is currently the most common mental disorder in the world, but one entheogen, psilocybin, could offer treatment and possibly be the cure.
Depression is a mental health disorder that has shadowed many adults throughout adulthood. For some groups, depression may be combated through family support and the healing of time. For other groups, however, depression may be rooted in genetics. This makes depression an overwhelming obstacle that cannot always be solved through pure determination. According to the National Institute of Mental health, an estimated 17.3 million adults suffer from depression in the United States. This represents 7.1% of the total adult population (“Major Depression”). Depression is the most common mental disorder in the world, which calls for more solutions, therapies, and drugs to be prescribed. In particular, there is substantial growing support for the implementation of entheogens, such as psilocybin, as treatment for depression.
"Depression is the leading cause of disability around the world, yet two thirds of people with depression do not receive the proper treatment." Courtesy of National Network of Depression Centers
Psilocybin is a chemical compound found in certain mushroom species that closely mirrors the effects of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a key hormone found naturally in the human body that is responsible for increased feeling of well-being, happiness, and improved mental state (“Serotonin”). Today, several studies have found evidence that low to medium doses of psilocybin may be used to treat patients with depression. For patients diagnosed with severe depression and or anxiety, participants in recent trials have been shown to demonstrate long-lasting improvement in mental health, positive moods, and reduction in mood swings after psilocybin treatment. According to Alan Davis, a faculty member at John Hopkins University and Ohio State University, his study of 27 participants found that treatment for depression with psilocybin was “more than 4 times greater” than the effects of commonly prescribed antidepressants (Hamilton). Since then, Davis has continued his research and extended his studies to larger sample groups, where similar positive effects were demonstrated. In his most recent study, participants were given two doses of psilocybin in addition to psychotherapy. Participants were asked to put on a blind fold in a comfortable environment while listening to music in order to foster the full effects of psilocybin. At the end of the study, Davis concluded that “there was a significant reduction in depression” that immediately took effect after the first session and continued up until the end of the one-month study (Hamilton). Davis, as well as Dr. Charles F. Reynolds III, a distinguished professor emeritus of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Medicine and editor of Davis’ research, are hopeful that their discoveries will contribute to a future solution towards chronic depression.
In addition, other research has supported psilocybin treatment as a safe alternative to modern antidepressants. In an experiment conducted by Matthew W. Johnson Ph.D, an associate professor at John Hopkins University, Johnson’s experiment did not indicate any source of apparent physiological dependence or withdrawal symptoms after psilocybin treatment. In a duration of 12 days, 19 participants were given psilocybin dosages ascending from 0.15 mg/kg to 0.21mg/kg. Following 13 days of close monitoring after the study was concluded, none of the participants showed any signs of physiological dependence or withdrawal symptoms. In another study conducted by Johnson, a single participant was administered daily doses of psilocybin in significantly higher quantities, ranging from 1.5mg/kg to 27mg/kg. This amount is more than 120 times greater than the highest amount of 0.21mg/kg given in the previous experiment. Remarkably, by the end of 22 days of the experiment, the participant displayed no signs of physiological dependence, withdrawal symptoms, or any negative effects (Johnson). This is a major breakthrough in the medical field considering how psilocybin is regarded as an extremely addictive hallucinogenic.
With cases of depression skyrocketing now more than ever, there is a growing crisis and imperative need to find alternative solutions to chronic illnesses like depression. The implementation of psilocybin as a medicinal agent can start a new generation of hope, innovation, and efficacy for those in desperate need of its natural properties. The past and current stigma surrounding psilocybin should not be an obstacle to a future where chronic illnesses can be addressed.
-Stephanie Tam