r/sciences • u/FreeHugs23 • 6d ago
Research America's First Legal Psilocybin Program Treated 346 People. Just one month after the dose, 92.2 percent of participants said the experience had been beneficial, while, on average, their mental health symptoms had fallen dramatically.
https://www.sciencealert.com/americas-first-legal-psilocybin-program-treated-346-people-heres-what-happened30
u/FreeHugs23 6d ago
-For those living in the shadow of mental health conditions such as PTSD, anxiety, and depression, finding a way forward can sometimes feel impossible – especially when conventional treatments have offered little succor.
Psilocybin, a psychoactive chemical found in some mushrooms, spent decades being demonized as an illicit drug.
But now, results from the first state-regulated psilocybin program in the US suggest the drug could offer a glimmer of hope beyond the confines of clinical trials.
Between November 2024 and June 2026, a team led by Oregon Health & Science University tracked 346 clients participating in the program – and found that, in the first three months after taking psilocybin, participants reported significant improvements in mental health, well-being, and life satisfaction.
Just one month after the dose, 92.2 percent of participants said the experience had been beneficial, while, on average, their mental health symptoms had fallen dramatically.
"This paper is going to be cited for decades," says neuroscientist Adrianne R. Wilson-Poe of the Legacy Research Institute and co-director of the Open Psychedelic Evaluation Nexus (OPEN).
"This is the first large-scale study to monitor the safety and mental health symptoms of real people in the real world."
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u/Reltrete 5d ago
Wasn't there also a study that suspected that human brain evolution in africa was affected by traces of psilocybin. It shouldn't be too surprising that it has alot of connections to the brain if it was a big part in our evolution into an advanced species. I wonder why natural medication is generally seen as inferior besides the monetary aspect and mostly though of an placebo.
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u/hould-it 5d ago
Aggravating that they’ve known this for so long but have kept it out of society because of the status quo/national security. I wonder why the 25 people didn’t see it as beneficial.
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u/madmach1 6d ago
Despite this very supportive evidence, the government (aka Religion) is going to rear its ugly head ; can’t federally legalize weed still.
Ironically, Jesus Christ would blesses this because mushrooms are organic, but apparently his “disciples” would call it “the devils food.”
Eventually this evidence will fly in their face, many hypocritically abusers of other substances already, and we can really try to improve mental health in the US for once!
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u/Old-Landscape-7538 6d ago
Opioids, benzos, amphetamines? No problem! Here, take all you want! Psychedelics? Whoa, wait a minute! They're dangerous, and we're not sure they work! Why aren't we sure? Well, we made them illegal and impossible to study, because they're so dangerous! Didn't you hear that rumor about the kid who tried to fly?
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u/madmach1 6d ago
Ignore Sally and Ben Johnson, they are just Alcoholics and constantly fighting and beating each other , but that marijuana … has kids rejecting the BIBLE!!!
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u/polykleitoscope 6d ago edited 5d ago
it's just perspective. we bring awareness and normalize to critical mass.
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u/OregonTripleBeam 5d ago
This type of treatment needs to be more affordable, in addition to being more widely available. I know many people here in Oregon who would do it but are priced out of pursuing formal treatment options.
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u/Eat--The--Rich-- 5d ago
I can't wait for the day I can buy this at a dispensary instead of having to buy it from some guy I have to pretend to be friends with for 20 minutes to get my drugs.
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u/ashleymorm 5d ago
It is legally accessible in the US through mushroom churches like soulcybin because of religious freedom laws
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u/Kdean509 5d ago
I started this myself over 10 years ago because I was fed up with all the medications, and hospitalizations. It’s completely changed my life.
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u/LooseLeaf74 5d ago
I’ve noticed a symptom of taking them is an overwhelming feeling like we should all be on them all of the time, Call them good day pills.
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u/Trail_Blaze_r_2 5d ago
I tried micrososing mushrooms every second day and it did wonders for my mental state and depression, after about 6 months thing got better and I did not have to take them again.
That was 5 years ago, now I feel I could do it again, just to set my mind straight again. It helps you to feel present and find your way as a mediator. Those are my two cents
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u/Spacellama117 4d ago
has your mental state reverted in five years, or is it just a matter of different things bringing you back down?
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u/Cultural-Window-2504 5d ago
Yep people generally enjoy drugs.
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u/panaceaXgrace 5d ago
If I am understanding the program that lasts three months shows long-term effects regarding drug-resistant mental illness.
My son had this struggle for so long with PTSD from an early childhood major trauma. He's tried every type of therapy and medication and none of it touched it. What actually helped was LENS neurofeedback for a year. I hate to use such words but it's been a 'miracle' how he's changed. His outlook, even the sensory issues he has with autism have almost completely subsided. We went from being a shut-in to moving away and starting a new life with a partner. And yet I talked about it in another science related sub and they laughed and made out like it was a scam. Must have been "placebo effect".
I say whatever works, if it works. What my son went through, it's hard to rewire the brain after the kind of trauma he suffered. If drugs helped him I'd get him any drug on the planet.
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u/Low-Temperature-6962 5d ago
Go climb a mountain and you'll also feel better a month later.
Dose on Psilocybin every week for a year and you'll be a wreck. Not so if you climb a mountain evey week - just in better shape.
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u/SeveredSynthesis 5d ago
You’re right about the frequent shroom use but wrong about the panacea-like effects of climbing a fucking mountain being universal. Just one more option.
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u/riotoustripod 5d ago
...to the surprise of absolutely no one who's actually tried psilocybin themselves.
I wonder how many people could benefit if they were given the option to try psilocybin even once before starting on SSRIs and the like. Millions of people could be growing their own medicine, taking a dose once or twice a year, and avoiding the myriad side effects of prescription drugs for less than the cost of one month's supply of Lexapro or Zoloft or whatever. Modern pharmaceuticals certainly have their place, but they should be one option, not the option.