Psychedelic drugs such as MDMA and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) are becoming increasingly popular among those suffering from depression and anxiety and those suffering from terminal illnesses such as cancer. These drugs can help patients open up to their innermost feelings, making them feel less distressed and more optimistic about their futures and the futures of those around them. And while critics continue to argue that we don't yet know enough about the long-term effects of these drugs, many people suffering from mental health issues say that they have never felt better after taking these types of drugs.

An Overview of How Psychedelics Are Changing Psychiatry

In recent years, a series of positive clinical trials have suggested that certain hallucinogens—including LSD, psilocybin (the compound in magic mushrooms), and MDMA (better known as ecstasy)—can be powerful tools in treating mental health disorders. Some experts say psychedelics can rewire your brain. As a result, these drugs may help tackle issues from substance abuse to PTSD. As their use grows in popularity for recreational purposes, however, legal restrictions have increased; they remain schedule 1 drugs under U.S. law due to what advocates see as their high potential for abuse and addiction. But as research continues, psychedelics could provide unprecedented insight into human consciousness. They could also create new treatments for addiction and anxiety, as well as recent conversations about how we think about mental illness today.

The idea that people with mental illnesses should take psychedelic drugs is not new. Some anthropologists believe indigenous cultures worldwide used hallucinogenic substances to create magical thinking or altered states of consciousness in healing rituals dating back centuries if not millennia.

What Does This Mean for Psychiatry?

Psychedelics have been used for medicinal purposes since ancient times, but it wasn't until recently that they gained any traction in modern psychiatric practices. This largely has to do with stigma, legality, and limited research funding. As a result, most psychiatrists never learn about psychedelics during their training or use them in their clinical practice—and FDA trials have approved only about 1% of drugs prescribed for mental illness. For many years, psychedelics were associated with hippies, anti-war protests and acid casualties—people who experienced adverse reactions while taking LSD. But thanks to a resurgence of interest among scientists, regulators and big pharma alike—psychedelic drugs might finally make a comeback in psychiatry.

What's Next?

For a select few, psychedelic drugs have provided a breakthrough experience, a life-altering trip that often leads to clarity about who they are, what they're doing with their lives, and even an end to depression. The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) moves psychedelics from party drug status into formal medical treatments with clinical trials exploring how these drugs can treat issues ranging from PTSD to anxiety in cancer patients. In addition, many Pharma companies like Bright minds bio, which is also a psychedelic company, has shifted their focus on developing effective medicines and therapies from psychedelics substances with minimal side effects to help treat patients with mental issues.