DISCOVERIESPsychedelic compound may boostwellbeing of cancer patientsAone-time, single-dose treatment
of psilocybin (a compound found in
psychedelic mushrooms) combined with
psychotherapy appears to help with
anxiety and depression in cancer patients
for up to five years, according to research
at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
In a landmark study carried out in
2016, the team found that psilocybin
combined with psychotherapy sessions
produced immediate, substantial and
sustained improvements in anxiety
and depression and led to decreases
in cancer-related demoralisation and
hopelessness, improved spiritual
wellbeing, and increased quality of life in
a group of 29 cancer patients. Six months
later they found that 60 per cent to 80
per cent of participants had significant
reductions in depression or anxiety,
sustained benefits in existential distress
and quality of life, as well as improved
attitudes toward death.
Now, in a follow-up study five years
later, more than 70 per cent of the
participants said the psilocybin-assisted
therapy brought long-term positive life
changes and rated it as among the most
personally meaningful and spiritually
significant experiences of their lives
“Adding to evidence dating back
as early as the 1950s, our findings
strongly suggest that psilocybin therapyis a promising means of improving
the emotional, psychological and
spiritual wellbeing of patients with life-
threatening cancer,” said lead researcher
Dr Stephen Ross. “This approach has the
potential to produce a paradigm shift in
the psychological and existential care
of patients with cancer, especially those
with terminal illness.”
Although the exact way psilocybin
works is not fully understood, the
researchers believe it can make the brain
more flexible and receptive to new ideas
and thought patterns. Previous research
indicates that it targets a network of
the brain known as the default mode
network, which becomes activated
when we engage in self-reflection and
mind wandering, and helps to create our
sense of self. In patients with anxiety
and depression, this network becomes
hyperactive giving rise to rumination and
worry. Psilocybin appears to shift activity
in this network and helps people to take
a more broadened perspective on their
behaviours and lives.
However, the researchers warn against
any attempt to self-medicate using
psilocybin, noting that it should be taken
in a controlled and psychologically safe
setting, preferably in conjunction with
counselling from trained mental health
practitioners or facilitators.PSYCHOLOGYGET T Y IMAGES X3 ILLUSTRATIONS: JOE WALDRON
NERVOUS FLYERS
Breathe easy, nervous flyers, it’s never been
safer to fly on commercial airlines, a study at
MIT has found. Passenger fatalities between
2008 and 2017 fell to one in nearly eight
million boardings. That’s down from one in 2.
million between 1998 and 2007, and one in 1.
million between 1988 and 1997.CYCLISTS
It’s time to squeeze into some Lycra: cycling to
work can reduce your likelihood of dying by up
to 13 per cent, a study by the University of
Otago in New Zealand has found. There was
no reduction in mortality for those who
walked or took public transport.CITYSLICKERS
Growing up in cities may negatively affect our
sense of direction, data collected by the
mobile gameSea Hero Questsuggests. After
analysing data from almost half a million
people from 38 countries, a team from the
French National Centre for Scientific Research
found that those who grow up in the
countryside are better navigators.WINE LOVERS
Hotter temperatures due to climate change
could make up to half of wine-producing
regions unsuitable for planting grapes, a study
at the University of British Columbia has
found. However, switching to hardier grape
varieties could lessen the impact.Bad monthGood monthWARNING
Psychedelic ‘magic’
mushrooms are a
Class A drug
according to UK law.
Anyone caught in
possession of such
substances will face
up to seven years in
prison, an unlimited
fine, or both. Info and
support for those
affected by
substance abuse
problems can
be found at
bit.ly/drug_support