It is very difficult to carry out any research using illegal drugs, which is why it is only just coming to light that a compound found in the illegal drug magic mushrooms may be the answer to curing depression. People who live with this emotional difficulty will welcome the revelation, but there is still a lot of red tape stalling research trials, due to the illegal nature of the substance.
Depression affects the wellness and wellbeing of millions of people in the UK, but they could benefit from the chemical psilocybin, which is the ingredient in magic mushrooms that causes the psychedelic effect. It is thought that this could be used to turn down regions of the brain that are associated with depression, such as the anterior cingulate cortex. In people with depression, these areas seem overstimulated, and are held responsible for many of the symptoms found in severe depression, such as dwelling on feelings of worthlessness, unhappiness or inadequacy.
A research team was headed by David Nutt, a former UK government drugs adviser and took place with the help of a team from Imperial College London. The team from the college believes strongly that psilocybin may be the vital breakthrough that they have been looking for to help tackle serious depression, as sometimes this strength of depression cannot be treated in the usual way, such as with antidepressants and talking therapy.
Volunteers were used for the preliminary research, and the results showed that there may also be benefits beyond improving the wellness of those with severe depression. Increased emotional wellbeing was demonstrated in the volunteers, with effects lasting for up to two weeks after they took the drug.
This exciting preliminary lays the ground work for further research, and the team has secured a half million pound grant to proceed, but first they must tackle the fact that research on the illegal drug is strictly controlled.