Why psychedelics could be a new class of antidepressant

Certain psychedelics, including psilocybin, may be useful for treating depression. Could they be a game-changing breakthrough for psychiatry? Clinical depression causes misery for hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Around one in five patients fail to respond to any treatment and even among those who do recover, relapse rates are high and get progressively worse with each successive episode. The most widely used class of antidepressants, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), can lift some people out of severe depression and help them stay well, but they don’t work for everyone, and among the many side-effects are anxiety, weight gain and sexual dysfunction. Since the SSRIs became available in the 1980s no new class of drugs has emerged, so the news that there may already be a more effective type of antidepressant in existence that is safe and well tolerated is tantalising. The catch is that to possess or supply these chemicals runs the risk of an unlimited fine or prison sentence. Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Drugs Depression Science Medical research Health Psychology Source Type: news