Can Nightclub drugs cure depression?

Meditation and mindfulness are now regularly recommended complementary therapies for common mental health concerns but new research has added weight to scientists’ growing interest in the potential positive effects of psychedelic drugs on mental health. 

As the incidence of mental health issues climbs ever higher, doctors, scientists and patients are increasingly looking outside the traditional treatment box of pharmaceutical anti-anxiety and antidepressant medications, and a growing number of clinical trials are exploring the use of psychedelics like psilocybin — from ‘magic’ mushrooms and dance club drugs like MDMA and ketamine for depression and PTSD, with surprisingly promising results. 

Neuroscientists argue that all of these methods encourage neuroplasticity — a kind of brain flexibility thought to stave off mental health issues. But population and social studies suggest certain kinds of beliefs and experiences themselves are linked to better mental health. 

In recent years, scientists have been looking looked at psychedelic drugs as promising therapies for treatment-resistant mental illness. Ongoing clinical trials suggest that drugs once taken by hippies and nightclub officianados might have positive benefits for mental health. 

Ketamine

The nightclub drug and tranquilizer is being tested for the treatment of depression. In March 2019, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the first nasal spray version of the drug. Ketamine works much more quickly than traditional antidepressants, and scientists believe it encourages new neural connections that can help overwrite unhealthy, depressive thought patterns. 

Psilocybin  

The active ingredient in magic mushrooms is a powerful hallucinogen. It acts far more quickly than traditional drugs and is being analysed for use in patients with depression and PTSD. Psilocybin helps encourage neuroplasticity and is thought to quieten the ‘default mode network’ in the brain and activate the ‘salience network’ that is involved in medication. In August, the US FDA cleared the largest clinical trial for psilocybin to date. 

MDMA  

The nightclub drug MDMA — sometimes called ‘Molly’ — is currently in trials to treat PTSD. MDMA appears to quieten activity in the amygdala and hippocampus, regions of the brain involved in emotional processing and fear responses, which are over-active in those with PTSD. Patients participating in MDMA trials take a dose of the drug, and remain in an eight-hour session with two therapists who guide their experience. 

LSD 

The psychedelic hippie drug LSD has a similar structure to the brain chemical serotonin. LSD’s discovery played a role in the discovery of how serotonin works in the brain and why imbalances of the neuro-chemical are involved in depression and anxiety. Trials using LSD-assisted therapy to treat anxiety are ongoing and have shown early promise.