Psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression: fMRI-measured brain mechanisms [pdf]

Before self-medicating based on this combined with a self-diagnosis, consider that LSD and psilocybin have a nasty tendency of triggering latent psychological conditions if not taken in the appropriate dosage and in a controlled environment.<p>[ref: <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nationaldrugstrategy.gov.au&#x2F;internet&#x2F;drugstrategy&#x2F;publishing.nsf&#x2F;Content&#x2F;FE16C454A782A8AFCA2575BE002044D0&#x2F;$File&#x2F;mono71.pdf" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nationaldrugstrategy.gov.au&#x2F;internet&#x2F;drugstrategy...</a> ]

Assuming that psilocybin is effective at treating depression, I find myself wondering whether actual conscious experience (that is, being high) is an essential part of its effectiveness or not.<p>To put this another way, imagine someone takes whatever dose of psilocybin and then is rendered unconsciousness until the perceptual effects wear off. Will there be any difference in its effectiveness as a treatment for depression?

Anecdotally, I&#x27;ve seen psilocybin to be an excellent assistant, but not treatment per say, for depression. It can temporarily free people from negative thought patterns; but lasting change only comes from persistent self-reflection and actualization.

I still don&#x27;t have the words to explain how, but I insist that psilocybin played a major role in the most successful period of my life. I am generally a highly skeptical person and remain a little frustrated that I can&#x27;t articulate better such an impactful correlation.

My girlfriend has treatment resistant depression. Most of her life doctors prescribed SSRI based drugs which didn&#x27;t really work. A lot of money was also spent on psychiatrist for CBT. Based on a youtube videos and blogpost, read about 5HTP.<p>I think 5htp supplements really works in cases where depression is genetic or the depression exists since childhood, where the cause of depression is not known. You can actually see the result and change in personality within few week. I think 5HTP should be the first medication before any other psychoactive medications are consumed.

Is Psilocybin and&#x2F;or Ayahuasaca and&#x2F;or any other DMT source legal anywhere in the world? I would expect at least _some_ places make it legal, possibly have hundreds&#x2F;thousands of years of experience that might be interesting to read alongside modern studies.

From the abstract:<p>[...] Quality pre and post treatment fMRI data were collected from 16 of 19 patients. Decreased depressive symptoms were observed in all 19 patients at 1-week post-treatment and 47% met criteria for response at 5 weeks. [...]

It is absolutely shocking to me that research into psychedelics isn&#x27;t swamped with funding. I&#x27;d imagine that some wealthy people must find this stuff extremely intriguing - Yuri Milner is spending $100 million on space exploration, and a psilocybin phase 3 research trial needs ~$10 million and finds it really hard to raise money?<p>Psychedelics have extremely high therapeutic potential, and are also just interesting in a similar same way as space exploration is interesting.

I think it would make a trip to a psychologists office much more exciting

What makes this go into Nature rather than a regular medical journal?

Heroin, BTW, helps from cough.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Heroin#History" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Heroin#History</a><p>&gt; From 1898 through to 1910, diamorphine was marketed under the trademark name Heroin as a non-addictive morphine substitute and cough suppressant.