Psychedelic Drugs and their use to treat mental health can be a controversial topic to many but just like every topic there can be several ways to look at the issue. Before one makes a decision on which drugs they can be bad and harmful, they should first look at every aspect of the drug and understand how they might help people who are struggling with mental issues and disorders. It is important that we look at the positives as well as the negative effects of these type of drugs in order to get the full view of their effects. In a journal co-written by József Rácz, he states “Psychoactive drug use shows great diversity” however “due to a disproportionate focus” upon “problematic drug use… remains an understudied phenomenon.” The article continues …show more content…
Psilocybin is a natural “serotonergic agonist and hallucinogen” used for hundreds of years for inducing “spiritual experiences in religious and medical rituals.” (Kometer 2015) Researchers interested in this unique drug yearned to more thoroughly understand the effects of Psilocybin on the neuronal basis of consciousness. To better understand the effects, they arranged 50 healthy volunteers, some of which received psilocybin or and the rest a placebo. In order to capture the effects, the researchers used EEG recordings to monitor brain imagery within those who had taken the drug and those who had not. In their findings, they determined there to be a “direct association of a specific spatiotemporal neuronal mechanism with spiritual experiences and enhanced insight into life and existence.” (Kometer 2015) The study showed that the drug may promote and sustain improved health and psychological …show more content…
Ketamine is an easier drug to research because it is not necessarily a schedule 1 so a lot more research has been done with this drug. It is evident based on these studies that psychedelic drugs may play a huge role in the mental health field. Patients have been able to use these drugs to alleviate depression, anxiety and even reduced and decrease symptoms from bipolar disorder and OCD as well as cure addiction. It is in my utmost hopes that psychedelic drugs be taken more seriously as treatments for mental illness and diseases and not be rejected by those who do not see it’s potential. With the proper conditions, preparations and environment there should be more freedom to explore what can
During a visit to Mexico, Gordon Wasson, a mycologist, discovered the use of psilocybin mushroom in spiritual ceremonies by Indian tribes. Upon experiencing the spiritual and hallucinatory effects of the mushroom, Wasson returned to the area accompanied by an experienced mycologist, Roger Heim, who managed to cultivate the mushroom once in France and send samples of it to the scientist who had discovered lysergic acid, Albert Hoffman. From the mushrooms, Hoffman successfully isolated two compounds which he further named psilocybin and psilocin. Analogs of these compounds were further synthesized and were employed mainly for psychotherapeutic uses. Many tests on psilocybin were made at Harvard University in the early 1960’s. However, along with LSD, psilocybin became a scheduled substance in 1970, making it illegal. During this time, psilocybin mushrooms became a part of the psychedelic and hippy movement and were used for recreational and spiritual purposes. Research on psilocybin ended in the late 1980’s because of strict rules imposed by the government but recently scientist have started researching on this chemical once more.
Boyer, B., Boyer, R., & Basehart, H. 1973. Hallucinogens and Shamanism M. Hamer, Ed.. England: Oxford University Press.
LSD has proved that the mind contains much higher powers and energies, beyond the average10% of the brain that a typical human uses. These powers and energies, under the right circumstances, can be taken advantage of to benefit human kind spiritually, creatively, therapeutically, and intellectually. LSD has given human kind the option to chemically trigger mental energies and powers. Arguments that LSD is potentially a dangerous discovery and mind control should be strictly prohibited by the government holds much validity, although there are benefits and arguments of personal freedom of neurology to consider. Whether LSD reflects negativity as a weapon and mind control drug, or radiates euphoria as a mind-expanding chemical and sacrament, the choice to engage in such an experience should be through personal reasoning. It is not the states and other bureaucracies’ duties to take control of the human brain and body.
In summary, Laurence’s article sanctioning ketamine as a cure for depression is an interesting and well-written article, however, it could give people the wrong idea about ketamine. There is a rapidly increasing interest in the discovery of drugs targeting glutamate neurotransmitter in the brain, as a hope to rapidly treat treatment-resistant patients (Duman & Ronald, 2013). While the mentioned studies in the article and this essay have given insight into ketamine’s antidepressant effects, this is still something that needs to be researched further as a lot of unresolved problems are still around with ketamine. Furthermore, the potential side effects of ketamine, including bladder and kidney damage, hepatotoxicity and psychological effects still require extreme consideration.
N,N-dimethyltryptamine(DMT) is a psychoactive chemical in the tryptamine family, which causes intense visuals and strong psychedelic mental affects when smoked, injected, snorted, or when swallowed orally (with an MAOI such as haramaline). DMT was first synthesized in 1931, and demonstrated to be hallucinogenic in 1956. It has been shown to be present in many plant genera (Acacia, Anadenanthera, Mimosa, Piptadenia, Virola) and is a major component of several hallucinogenic snuffs (cohoba, parica, yopo). It is also present in the intoxicating beverage ayahuasca made from banisteriopsis caapi. This drink inspired much rock art and paintings drawn on the walls of native shelters in tribal Africa- what would be called 'psychedelic' art today (Bindal, 1983). The mechanism of action of DMT and related compounds is still a scientific mystery, however DMT has been identified as an endogenous psychadelic- it is a neurotransmitter found naturally in the human body and takes part in normal brain metabolism. Twenty-five years ago, Japanese scientists discovered that the brain actively transports DMT across the blood-brain barrier into its tissues. "I know of no other psychedelic drug that the brain treats with such eagerness," said one of the scientists. What intrigued me were the questions, how and why does DMT alter our percep...
Wesson, Donald R. "Psychedelic Drugs, Hippie Counterculture, Speed And Phenobarbital Treatment Of Sedative-Hypnotic Dependence: A Journey To The Haight Ashbury In The Sixties." Journal Of Psychoactive Drugs 2 (2011): 153. Academic OneFile. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.
A largely debated topic in today's society is whether or not psychedelic drugs should be legalized for medicinal purposes and if they should, how this legalization would affect the communities in which they’re being prominently medicinally used. Although many scientists have argued that psychedelics pose a mental health risk, closer examination shows that communities would have a significantly lower depression rate if certain psychedelics were legalized. Now to fully understand how psychedelics could be beneficial or the opposite thereof, you’ll need to understand how they work and what they are. What a psychedelic drug is, the immediate effects, both mentally and physically, and how communities might benefit and function with the sudden use of these drugs.
LSD stands for Iysergic acid diethylamide. LSD is a hallucinate know to be the most powerful drug of this kind. LSD is commonly known as acid. This drug changes a person’s mental state by distorting the perception of reality to the point where at high doses hallucination occurs. Acid is derived from a fungus that grows on rye and other grains. It is semi-synthetic. It’s manufactured chemically in illicit laboratories, except for a small percent, which is produced legally for research.
Psychedelics have always been a controversial subject in the world of drugs because they have the ability to alter one’s perception of reality. L.S.D, MDMA, and psilocybin are three of the main types of psychedelics on the drug market, all three of which are listed as schedule 1 by the DEA. A schedule 1 drug is considered to have a high addiction risk, has no medical value whatsoever, and is illegal to have in your possession. A schedule 2 drug is considered to have the potential for both medical purposes, and abuse. A schedule 3 drug is considered safe for medical use and can only be prescribed by a doctor. I however, believe that psychedelics should be reconsidered for at least schedule 2 as studies have shown an increase in the use of psychedelics in psychotherapy and can even help the terminally ill come to terms with their own deaths.
In the early 1900s MDMA was developed in Germany to synthesize other pharmaceuticals. Virtually dormant until 1953, MDMA was researched--and used--by a former pesticide chemist named Alexander Shulgin. Shulgin was on a quest for the ideal psychoactive drug but was frustrated by the regulations and required trials mandated before a medication could be produced; he quit working on this drug because of these restrictions(“History of Ecstasy (MDMA)”). Some psychiartrics began using MDMA during the 1970’s as a psychotherapeutic tool, even the the drug had never recieved formal clinical trials or go...
One must look beyond the stereotypes that psychedelics have earned in the twentieth century, and also modern science, that presupposes that any thing that cannot be explained within its own contexts either does not exist or is but a fanciful idea. However, the realm of psychedelics is uncharted area, and when dealing with such experimental substances, such as these psychedelic agents, one must proceed with caution, as was mentioned earlier the agents are powerful tools and can be used with skill or reckless abandon, and therefore can yield positive responses or deadly consequences. If used with care psychedelics will allow many psychologists and patients to embark on a perhaps endless journey of self-discovery.
Hallucinogens or psychedelics are mind-altering drugs, which affect the mind’s perceptions, causing bizarre, unpredictable behavior, and severe, sensory disturbances that may place users at risk of serious injuries or death. Hallucinogens powerfully affect the brain, distorting the way our five senses work and changes our impressions of time and space. People who use these drugs a lot may have a hard time concentrating, communicating, or telling the difference between reality and illusion. Hallucinogens cause people to experience - you guessed it - hallucinations, imagined experiences that seem real. The word "hallucinate" comes from Latin words meaning, "to wander in the mind."
“Of all the Buddhist groups in America, those focusing on meditation have been most attractive to young people from the drug scene, and it is these groups that have taken the strongest stand against drug use. The psychological literature as well as the literature on Zen abounds in descriptions of the altered states of consciousness experienced under the influence of LSD-25 and other hallucinogenic drugs. Descriptions of these drug-induced states often compare them with the experience of satori or enlightenment which may result from Buddhist meditation. Frequently the opinion is expressed that, under certain circumstances, the LSD experience is a satori experience. ”
Nichols, D. E., & Chemel, B. R. (2011). LSD and the serotonin system's effects on human