No, you aren't hallucinating — researchers really are turning their attention to psychedelic drugs, also called hallucinogens or entheogens, for psychiatric treatment. The growing interest in compounds like psilocybin (found in psychedelic mushrooms), LSD, MDMA (also called ecstasy) and DMT (found in ayahuasca) represents an enormous change, according to Forbes.
Psychedelic drugs have been in use for thousands of years as part of varied religious and cultural practices, according to WebMD, and shift the user's perceptions of reality and induce marked changes in thoughts an feelings. Those changes intrigue psychiatric researchers, who see a promising future for psychedelics in the treatment of mental health conditions. In one 2021 study published in the journal Nature Medicine, researchers found that MDMA offered significant relief of symptoms in people suffering from severe PTSD. Notably, the relief from symptoms didn't wear off with the drug — in most participants who received MDMA, the effects of treatment persisted for four years or more.
Another drug, ketamine, is already in wider use to treat persistent depression. The ketamine-derived nasal spray esketamine provides rapid relief for people experiencing suicidal ideation. Esketamine, marketed under the brand name Spravato, is administered through a nasal spray under a doctor's supervision. The nasal spray is the only form of ketamine therapy approved by the FDA specifically to treat depression, though off-label intravenous and oral treatment is also widely available, according to Psychology Today.
Investment in psychedelic research is booming, according to Forbes, but there are skeptics. In an opinion published in JAMA Psychiatry, one group of researchers called the sudden flow of cash — projected to grow to $10.75 billion by 2027 — "the cart before the horse."
Benefits aside, taking psychedelics can be dangerous outside a clinical setting. After all, you can't know the origin, strength or even the real ingredients in street drugs.
