WEBVTT - Can Magic Mushrooms Help Stop Depression?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works. Hey there,

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren Vogel bomb here. Depression treatment is better

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<v Speaker 1>now than ever before, thanks to a variety of prescription

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<v Speaker 1>drug options and improved therapy techniques, but in some cases

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<v Speaker 1>these proven therapies fall short. However, magic mushrooms just might

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<v Speaker 1>be the key to giving those with depressions some much

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<v Speaker 1>needed relief, according to a recent study by researchers at

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<v Speaker 1>Imperial College London published in the journal Scientific Reports. The

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<v Speaker 1>albeit small study looked at the effects of psilocybin on

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen patients for whom conventional depression therapies failed. Psilocybin is

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<v Speaker 1>the psychoactive compound that is naturally present in two hundred

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<v Speaker 1>types of magic mushrooms. The researchers described the results as

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<v Speaker 1>rapid and sustained. In fact, within weeks, the patients reported

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<v Speaker 1>fewer depression symptoms, with several of them describing a brain reset.

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<v Speaker 1>This reportedly lasts for up to five weeks post treatment.

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<v Speaker 1>Other studies have shown positive effects from using LSD and

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<v Speaker 1>m d M a, the act of ingredient in ecstasy,

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<v Speaker 1>to treat some mental illnesses, but this is the first

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<v Speaker 1>study to look at the effect of psilocybin on depression.

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<v Speaker 1>Dr Robin Carhart Harris, head of psychedelic research at Imperial

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<v Speaker 1>and leader of the study, said in a press release

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<v Speaker 1>we have shown for the first time clear changes in

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<v Speaker 1>brain activity and depressed people treated the psilocybin after failing

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<v Speaker 1>to respond to conventional treatments. Several of our patients described

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<v Speaker 1>feeling reset after the treatment and often used computer analogies.

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<v Speaker 1>For example, one set he felt like his brain had

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<v Speaker 1>been defragged like a computer hard drive, and another set

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<v Speaker 1>he felt rebooted. Psilocybin maybe giving these individuals the temporary

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<v Speaker 1>kickstart they need to break out of their depressive states,

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<v Speaker 1>and these imaging results do tentatively support a reset analogy.

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<v Speaker 1>Similar brain effects to these have been seen with electric

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<v Speaker 1>convulsive therapy, which by the way, is not as scary

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<v Speaker 1>as it looks in movies and can be a real

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<v Speaker 1>help to those for whom other therapies don't work. In

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<v Speaker 1>the study, participants were given two doses of psilocybin a

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<v Speaker 1>week apart. Functional MRI s done after each dose showed

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<v Speaker 1>reduced blood flow in certain areas of the brain, particularly

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<v Speaker 1>the amygdala, which is credited with processing fear, stress and

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<v Speaker 1>emotional responses. Greater stability in a different brain network was

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<v Speaker 1>also revealed. The tests appear to show that people undergo

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<v Speaker 1>a temporary disintegration of brain networks during a trip, but

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<v Speaker 1>reintegration follows soon after. Psilocybin has been used for medicinal

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<v Speaker 1>purposes for centuries and became a popular recreational drug beginning

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<v Speaker 1>in the nineteen sixties. Researchers warned that people should not

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<v Speaker 1>attempt to self medicate, as the experimental treatment was conducted

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<v Speaker 1>in tandem with other therapy. They also note these small

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<v Speaker 1>size of the study group and the absence of a

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<v Speaker 1>control group as cautions before making applications to the general population. However,

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<v Speaker 1>the study author's right accumulating evidence suggests that psilocybin with

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<v Speaker 1>accompanying psychological support can be used safely to treat a

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<v Speaker 1>range of psychiatric conditions, including end of life anxiety and depression,

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<v Speaker 1>alcohol and tobacco addiction, obsessive compulsive disorder, and, most recently

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<v Speaker 1>from our group, treatment resistant major to ossion. They planned

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<v Speaker 1>test psilocybin against a major antidepressant in another trial. Despite

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<v Speaker 1>these positive results, psilocybin can also cause some pretty crazy

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<v Speaker 1>side effects, like panic attacks, paranoia, strange reactions and outbursts. Also,

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<v Speaker 1>eating the wrong mushroom to get high may result in poisoning,

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<v Speaker 1>so seriously, don't undertake this treatment on your own. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>episode was written by Alia Hoyt and produced by Tristan McNeil.

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<v Speaker 1>For more on this and lots of other psychedelic topics,

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<v Speaker 1>visit our home planet, how Stuff Works dot com