The potential beneficiary use of psychedelic drugs to treat severe symptoms of mental illness has led to the publication of countless studies.
In a new study, released in Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, it was concluded that one dose of a psychedelic drug might lessen the severity of depression or anxiety, among Blacks or indigenous North American people with a history of racial discrimination.
The beneficiary effects occurred within 30 days of taking either psilocybin, MDMA, or LSD.
Psilocybin has been demonstrated to be efficient at reducing symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, in past research.
“Their experience with psychedelic drugs was so powerful that they could recall and report on changes in symptoms from racial trauma that they had experienced in their lives, and they remembered it having a significant reduction in their mental health problems afterward,” according to Alan Davis, co-author of the study, as stated in a news release.
Davis and his colleagues led the study at the Ohio State University, showcasing that the more intense the participants’ spiritual experiences were, the more improvement shown for their trauma-related symptoms caused by discrimination.
“Psychedelics may decrease the negative impact of racial trauma,” the study’s authors implied in their findings.
“Future studies should examine the efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapy for individuals with a history of race-based trauma.”
The study received funding from the University of Ottawa and the Canada Research Chairs Program (MTW).
