First Canadian federal research grant to study “magic mushrooms” as a treatment for depression
Photo by Andrew Ridley on Unsplash
Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has been awarded the first-ever Canadian federal research grant to study whether the active component in psilocybin (colloquially known as “magic mushrooms”) can be used to treat depression without the psychedelic effects.
Psilocybin is the chemical compound in magic mushrooms that induces a so-called 'trip.' Researchers at CAMH are going to explore if those psychoactive effects are necessary for the compound to alleviate treatment-resistant depression in adults.
This is SUCH great news on so many fronts. I'm so happy to see an organization as influential as CAMH taking such a proactive, leadership role in this space & really walking the talk regarding their commitment to finding innovative treatments that will change the course of mental health forever. I'm equally thrilled to see a study of this scale and caliber get approved by the Canadian government, as approvals from federal authorities in Canada have so far been quite limited.
Previous clinical trials have suggested that psilocybin, combined with intensive psychotherapy, can produce "sustained antidepressant effects" in those living with severe depression. However, because the treatment comes with psychoactive side-effects, users need time intensive and costly support during the treatment. But if the CAMH researchers find that psilocybin can still help people suffering from depression without the "trip," then it would make treatment far more practical, according to lead researcher Dr. Ishrat Husain.
The hope is the research will serve as a foundation for further clinical exploration of psilocybin as a treatment for depression without the need for psychotherapy.
In its news release, CAMH stressed the need for well-designed clinical trials in pushing this kind of research forward, as approvals from federal authorities in Canada have so far been been limited.
We’ve still got a long ways to go but this is a very heartening new development in the field of mental health.
Read CBC news article here.