Psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, might just revolutionize how depression and anxiety are treated in cancer patients. In a groundbreaking trial, a single dose combined with therapy significantly reduced emotional suffering, and these effects often lasted over two years. As follow-up studies expand the research to multiple doses and larger samples, scientists are eyeing a possible new standard of care that merges psychedelics with psychological support.
This article will for sure leave some cancer patients feeling disappointed after tripping. I tried acid when I was 19 - everything I read told me it was going to be a life changing, eye opening, personality upgrading experience. Turns out it wasn’t, and I definitely felt a bit let down. Personally, I don’t think telling cancer patients shrooms will cure their depression is at all wise.
Your experience with psychedelics at the age of 19, while your brain was still developing, has no relevance to adults suffering from life-long ptsd and terminal cancer getting positive side effects from the drugs.
Oh good point, in that case I’m sure their depression will be cured…
That may or may not happen. There’s no need to be a dick and take away what small bit of hope these results might offer people.
Eta: I would feel the same way you do if this was some snake oil grift touting a one shot cure for cancer or something. This, however, is just offering a slight mitigation of depressive symptoms related to the actual disease.
Sounds like you went into it with expectations.
Sounds like someone who reads this article probably would too. Which is why it’s a dumb article.
Is it possible to benefit? For sure.
Will YOU, the average cancer patient, benefit for 2 years? Probabaly not.
I would imagine it’s like any other treatment, in that it works for some, not for others.