Psilocybin. Why Aren't We Using This Drug In Small Amounts To Treat Depression? The Little Fungus That Could Be A Big Threat To Big Pharma

So a major issue here in the west in depression. A report by The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development shows that developed countries have higher rates of depression than undeveloped countries and yet the use of antidepressants is higher in developed countries than in underdeveloped countries. Why is this? Why is it that an industry that nets over 200 Billion dollars a year off of the ineffectual treatment of one bracket of illnesses seems to not be remedying the problem despite the huge amounts of "Ground Breaking" perscription medications being thrown at it? Well a simple answer is that they aren't helping. In fact they are harmful.

Most antidepressants are designed to alter mechanisms regulating serotonin, an evolutionarily ancient biochemical found throughout the brain and the rest of the body. In the brain, serotonin acts as a neurotransmitter—a chemical that controls the firing of neurons (brain cells that regulate how we think, feel, and behave). However, serotonin evolved to regulate many other important processes, including neuronal growth and death, digestion, muscle movement, development, blood clotting, and reproductive function. Most antidepressants, such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), are intended to bind to a molecule in the brain called the serotonin transporter that regulates levels of serotonin. When they bind to the transporter, they prevent neurons from reabsorbing serotonin, which causes a buildup of serotonin outside of neurons. In other words, antidepressants alter the balance of serotonin in the brain, increasing the concentration outside of neurons. With long-term antidepressant use, the brain pushes back against these drugs and eventually restores the balance of serotonin outside of the neuron with a number of compensatory changes.

Interestingly most clinical trials show an alleviation of symptoms with a placebo almost on equal par to those taking the SSRI's. Though yes they alleviate the symptoms of depression they also cause your entire neurochemistry to have to realign and this is where a potential risk becomes an inevitability. Certain relapse. This pushback effect is analogous to the action of a spring. Imagine a spring with one end attached to a wall. An antidepressant suppresses the symptoms of depression in a way that is similar to compressing the spring with your hand. When you stop taking the drug (like taking your hand off the spring from its compressed position), there is a surge in the symptoms of depression (like the overshoot of the spring before it returns to its resting position). The three month risk of relapse for people who took a placebo is about 21%. But the three month risk of relapse after you stop taking an SSRI is 43%—twice the risk. For stronger antidepressants, the three month risk is even higher.

So even if tapered off the drug you have been prescribed you still end up with an increased risk of a remanifestation of symptoms. Despite incredibly common antidepressant medications like Amitriptyline, Nortriptyline , WELLBUTRIN , and Lithium causing death and violent behavior in lab rats these medications are widely prescribed to patients to treat everything from chronic migraines to clinical depression. Why is This? Well as always, money is a big factor. Are their alternatives? Yep.

According to a study published in The Lancet Psychiatry, psilocybin was found as an effective treatment method in the treatment of drug resistent clinical depression when coupled with supportive therapy.
Dr Robin Carhart-Harris, Imperial College London, London, UK stated: "This is the first time that psilocybin has been investigated as a potential treatment for major depression. Treatment-resistant depression is common, disabling and extremely difficult to treat. New treatments are urgently needed, and our study shows that psilocybin is a promising area of future research. The results are encouraging and we now need larger trials to understand whether the effects we saw in this study translate into long-term benefits, and to study how psilocybin compares to other current treatments."
Professor David Nutt, senior author from Imperial College London: "Previous animal and human brain imaging studies have suggested that psilocybin may have effects similar to other antidepressant treatments. "Psilocybin targets the serotonin receptors in the brain, just as most antidepressants do, but it has a very different chemical structure to currently available antidepressants and acts faster than traditional antidepressants."

Now an area of modern psychology that is being gravitated to by many clinicians is Contemplative Science and Practice. The methodology is almost esoteric in it's format yet isn't necessarily spiritual. Certain aspects of mindfulness when taught to the patient allow the individual suffering from depression to begin to self analyse while learning how to develop equanimity in the face of a normally raging and uncontrolled mind. Yes eastern practices are incorporated with exercises centered around meditation but healthy self analysis is also practiced bringing the individual back in line with control of their own mind. Why are we not looking at coupling this methodology with psilocybin in the treatment of depression? No don't get me wrong here. I'm not suggesting that the reader go out and start gobbling hallucinogenics every time they feel blue. It's just a write up that's food for thought. Thanks for reading and Steem on.

Sources: Mad In America
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