Its well known that there is currently a mental health crisis across the world, but the field of psychiatry has evolved little in recent decades and existing drugs used to treat patients have response rates ranging from at best 50 to 70 % depending on the drug.

In addition those taking SSRIs for example for their depression are locked in to their prescriptions for life. So the appetite exists for alternative approaches.

Psycheledic drugs and associated research are now seeing renewed interest, no longer are they solely associated with their recreational use during the hippy era of the 60s but increasingly more and more studies are pointing to their efficacy when it comes to dealing with mental health problems like anxiety and depression.

With that in mind I spoke with research scientist Dr Freiederike Holze who explained what psychedelics are and what we understand about how they work in the brain.

We hear about the remarkable ability of LSD to treat anxiety with long standing results after only a couple of doses.

Dr Holze compares LSD with Psilocybin, and details the benefits of both while also outlining the potential negative effects.

Also expect to learn about how MDMA studies have shown promising results for dealing with PTSD symptoms.

It goes without saying that while psychedlics have been used by humankind for eons, and many people will report a positive experience when they used them for their own therapeutic purposes, scientists must prove their efficacy in a replicable way and in a controlled environment, as frustrating as many may find this, its the only way forward if psychedelics are to become a mainstream approach to treating conditions like depression which blights so many.

This discussion is purely for educational purposes.

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