The search for effective ways to treat depression and other mental health conditions is expanding beyond typical pharmaceuticals. In particular, psychedelics are making waves as potential therapies for psychiatric disorders.
The hallucinogen ketamine made headline news in 2019 when it earned FDA approval as new drug therapy for depression. Another hallucinogen, psilocybin (the psychoactive compound in magic mushrooms), was recently decriminalized in Denver and has also been gaining favor as a new approach for treatment-resistant depression and other mental health conditions.
But is taking a psychedelic trip on magic mushrooms safe for people with psychiatric issues?
Psilocybin is a natural hallucinogen that distorts perception and can cause profound visual and auditory hallucinations. People can have very different experiences form ingesting magic mushrooms.
Psychedelic effects can include:
Not everybody has such a magical experience. Some people have decidedly unpleasant reactions to the substance, including:
These positive or negative effects emerge about a half-hour after ingesting the substance and can last approximately 4-6 hours.
People have been using psychoactive mushrooms for medicinal and religious purposes for thousands of years. In the 1950s, Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann, the man who gained notoriety for discovering LSD, synthesized the substance. This opened the door to clinical research using the drug as a potential therapy for a variety of psychiatric issues, including schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders (ASD), substance abuse, obsessive compulsive disorder, and depression.
In 1970, the U.S. designated it as a Schedule I drug of the Controlled Substances Act, effectively criminalizing it and indicating that it has a high risk of abuse. This put an end to most clinical research until it resurfaced more recently.
Scientists have long believed that psilocybin works by binding to serotonin receptors in the brain. This prevents the reuptake of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that’s involved with mood control, shifting attention, and cognitive flexibility. Antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) work in the same way to enhance serotonin.
A 2012 brain imaging study found that psilocybin also decreases brain activity in certain areas of the brain, including the thalamus, which is involved in the transfer of information.
“’Knocking out’ these key hubs with psilocybin appears to allow information to travel more freely in the brain, probably explaining why people’s imaginations become more vivid and animated and the world is experienced as unusual,” study author Robin Carhart-Harris told LiveScience.
Some small studies suggest psilocybin may be helpful for treatment-resistant depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, addiction, cancer-related anxiety and depression, and more.
In spite of the growing body of research, a 2018 review of the existing scientific evidence claims our understanding of psilocybin’s effects is still in its infancy and suggests caution. “Progress needs to be made in explicitly understanding the cognitive and neural mechanistic process by which psilocybin works,” the authors say.
In addition, scientists have yet to determine if the use of psilocybin could have detrimental effects in the long run. We know that some pharmaceuticals prescribed to treat mental health issues can be harmful to the brain. For example, brain SPECT imaging studies have shown that some anti-anxiety drugs, such as benzodiazepines, have negative impacts on blood flow and activity in the brain.
More research on psilocybin is needed to know the lasting impacts on the brain and to establish whether it is safe on a long-term basis.
At Amen Clinics, we use brain SPECT imaging, which can reveal exposure to toxins that are negatively impacting the brain. Our brain imaging work has shown that some medications—such as benzodiazepines often prescribed for anxiety, as well as chemotherapy— have a harmful effect on the brain. We have helped many people overcome treatment-resistant depression using the least toxic, most effective therapies.
To learn more or to schedule your comprehensive evaluation, please visit us online or call 888-288-9834.
Are you filled with dread at the thought of going home? Is your family constantly at war with each other? Do you feel neglected or worry about a possible violent outburst? You may think you’re the only one whose family life is filled with tension, strife, and emotional chaos. You’d be wrong. Far too many people are living in families where communication, emotional support, and love are in short supply.
Growing up in a dysfunctional family can leave you emotionally scarred and set you up for a lifetime of issues. Not all dysfunctional families are the same though, and each type can create specific problems that carry on into adulthood.
Over 8 million children under the age of 18 live with a parent who has a substance use disorder, according to research in Social Work in Public Health. When one or more parents abuse drugs or alcohol, it can lead to chaotic family life. Children of alcoholics or drug addicts may not have their basic needs met. The addicted parent may forget to pick up the kids from school, neglect to fix lunch or dinner, and skip important health checks. Unreliable and inconsistent parenting causes children to feel insecure and leads to issues with trust and pent-up anger that may linger for decades.
Living in constant fear, being blamed for problems the parent creates and feeling ashamed impact the ability to form healthy relationships later on in life. Children of alcoholics are prone to develop overactivity in the amygdala, the brain’s fear center, and can contribute to mental health conditions, such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression. And research in Drug and Alcohol Dependenceshows they are at heightened risk of developing substance use disorders.
Is your family life filled with heated arguments, hurtful disputes, and long-running feuds? When family members are constantly picking fights or pressing each other’s buttons to create conflict, it creates a highly stressful environment. When one family member feels threatened, they may retaliate with even more hateful actions. It doesn’t really matter what the conflicts are about—money, personal style, where to go to dinner, or what to watch on TV—it’s the inability to communicate and resolve issues peacefully that causes lasting damage. Children in conflict-oriented families often develop stress disorders and have trouble with attachment.
Each year, approximately 4.5 to 15 million children are exposed to some form of physical violence in the home. Growing up in a volatile or violent family is a horrific experience that no one deserves. Family violence is not only physical. It can also include verbal, sexual, or psychological abuse or any other behavior that makes you feel unsafe. For children, simply witnessing domestic abuse can have the same devastating effects as experiencing abuse oneself, according to 2018 research in JAMA Network Open.
Childhood trauma causes physical changes in the developing brain that are associated with an increased risk of psychiatric disorders and substance abuse. For example, brain imaging research shows that children who grow up in an abusive environment tend to have:
Authoritarian parents act like dictators, making great demands but giving little positive feedback. Mistakes are often met with severe punishment, which can include yelling, spanking, or other forms of corporal punishment. In these households, the authoritarian sets the rules and it’s “my way or the highway.” Children learn to follow rules but don’t gain valuable experience in making their own decisions or learning from their own mistakes.
When they grow up, these youngsters tend to have poor self-esteem, may be overly aggressive or excessively shy in social situations, may be prone to anxiety or depression, and may be vulnerable to substance abuse due to an inability to control their own behavior.
In some families, signs of affection and warmth are missing. Emotional unavailability and a lack of hugs, handholding, and other physical signs of love teach children to repress their emotions. This causes little ones to bottle up their feelings and have a hard time opening up to others, which can lead to a series of failed relationships.
In some cases, it creates problems with self-esteem and feelings of unworthiness. Without loving parents, children are more likely to have a fear of abandonment, school problems, and psychological issues, such as a lack of identity or personality disorders.
Whichever form of family dysfunction affects your home life, understand that you can overcome these issues. You don’t need to let them ruin your life. Here are some powerful steps that can help you heal from a dysfunctional upbringing.
If you’re struggling with issues that stem from growing up in a dysfunctional family or you’re still caught up in an unhealthy family dynamic, Amen Clinics can help. At Amen Clinics, we can help you—and everyone in the family unit—achieve better brain health and a stronger, more fulfilling relationship. We use brain SPECT imaging to help diagnose mental health conditions and to identify areas of the brain that may benefit from optimization. We believe in using the least toxic, most effective solutions, including psychotherapy, natural supplements, nutritional coaching, medications (when necessary) and more.
To find out more about how we can help, call 888-288-9834 to talk to a specialist today or schedule a visit.