According to researchers from the world’s first psychedelic research center, Centre for Psychedelic Research at London’s Imperial College, psilocybin—or “magic mushrooms”—could replace prescribed antidepressants within five years. The assertion follows similar research from John Hopkins University, which suggests victims of emotional trauma may experience more long-term relief when using natural psilocybin fungi instead of chemical drugs.
Dr. Robin Earhart-Harris, head of the research center, is leading one of the first trials to determine how therapy involving the mushrooms—which are currently illegal in the UK—compares to leading antidepressants. While he won’t pre-judge the study, he did share that the trials have resulted in a cathartic emotional “release.” He compared this to the dulled, “blunted” effect of prescribed antidepressants. It is the first of many studies planned at London’s Imperial College.
For the trial, 60 participants with moderate to severe depression will be given psilocybin treatment. They will be accompanied by a therapy session with a clinical psychologist. Participants will be randomly allocated to receive either the fungi or the placebo. Neither the researchers nor the participants will know who is in each group.
The effects of taking psilocybin will be compared with the antidepressant escitalopram. The drug is a type of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). It accounts for the largest percent of the antidepressant market.
“If you ask people who are taking SSRIs chronically, they often say ‘I feel blunted’,” Dr. Carhart-Harris told the Independent. He meant both negative and positive emotions were suppressed. “With psilocybin therapy they say the opposite, they talk about an emotional release, a reconnection, and this key emotional centre being more responsive.”
