Psilocybin for Mental Health and Addiction: What You Need To Know (original) (raw)

Psilocybin is a chemical that comes from certain types of mushrooms and has been used by indigenous peoples in parts of Mexico and Central America for thousands of years as part of a sacred and ancient tradition. Today, in the United States, psilocybin is considered a psychedelic drug—a type of drug that affects how the brain processes a chemical called serotonin. Common street names for psilocybin are magic mushrooms, mushrooms, or shrooms.

When people take psilocybin, their bodies convert it to psilocin, a chemical with psychoactive properties similar to d-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), another classic hallucinogen. The effects of taking psilocybin are hard to predict and can vary widely from person to person. At certain doses, psychedelic drugs, including psilocybin, can change peoples’ moods, thoughts, and perceptions. For example, people who use psilocybin may report feeling strong emotions, seeing vibrant images, reliving vivid memories, or experiencing perceptual changes such as a sense of timelessness or a dissolving of the ego.

Psilocybin can be consumed by eating fresh or dried psilocybin-containing mushrooms. Although bitter, they can be eaten alone, mixed with food, or made into a tea. Generally, the nonmedical use of psilocybin refers to mushrooms containing psilocybin; synthetic production of psilocybin is complicated and expensive. Some people take psilocybin in “microdoses,” or very small amounts (e.g., one-tenth or one-twentieth of a typical nonclinical dose), because they believe it will improve mental health symptoms such as depression and stress, increase productivity, or reduce pain. However, it is not clear if microdosing is safe or effective.

Research interest in the potential of psychedelic drugs to treat mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, existential distress in serious medical illnesses, post-traumatic stress disorder, and addiction has been growing. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted “breakthrough therapy” designation to psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for both major depressive disorder in 2019 and treatment-resistant depression in 2018. The FDA may also grant this designation for treatments for serious or life-threatening conditions where preliminary evidence suggests the treatment may improve the conditions substantially more than other available options.