One step away

A recent article in the Guardian announced the Imperial College London has plans to commence a study that will utilized psilocybin to treat individuals with clinical depression.  The pilot study will be conducted by Professor David Nutt and Dr Robin Carhart-Harris at Imperial College's Neuropsychopharmacology Centre in London on 12 patients who have failed to respond to conventional treatment.  Positive results from this difficult to treat patient population would provide provide compelling evidence of psilocybin's utility for treating various mental disorders. The Imperial College London is one of the top 10 ranked Universities in the world (ranked #2).

Carhart-Harris and Nutt have previously published 2 fMRI studies detailing psilocybin's effect on the brain and a recent theory of the entropic brain, the state of consciousness occasioned by the use of psychedelic substances.

Depression is common in men and women with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The trauma that caused PTSD also may cause depression (WebMD).  As of today, not a single pharmacological treatment has been developed specifically for PTSD (CNS Drugs. 2013 Mar;27(3):221-32).  A recent study that utilized an animal model of PTSD showed an extinction of "fear conditioning" and concluded that psilocybin "and similar agents, should be explored as potential treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder and related conditions" (Exp Brain Res. 2013 Aug;228(4):481-91). A study published in 1968 demonstrated the effectiveness of psilocybin for PTSD (Ind Med Surg. 1968 May;37(5):347-50).  Since publication of this 1968 study, new laws have made further research into the use of psychedelics nonexistent until recently.

Commenting on this situation, Dr Nutt, in the recent Guardian article referred to above, stated:

"It was unquestionably one of the most effective pieces of disinformation in the history of mankind," says Nutt. "It led to a lot of people believing these drugs were more harmful than they were. They are not trivial drugs, but in comparison with drugs that kill thousands of people a year, like alcohol, tobacco and heroin, they have a very safe track record and, as far as we know, no one has died."

There now exists an abundance of information to support and an abundance of need for a Clinical Trial utilizing psilocybin to treat PTSD.  The organizations that would be expected to take the lead in this research is logically the Department of Defense and the Veteran's Administration.

It is time for  the Department of Defense and the Veterans Administration ("We must do all we can to deliver the high-quality care our service members and veterans have earned and deserve.”) to stop talking the talk about trying to do everything they can to treat PTSD and to start walking the walk by leading the way in initiating Clinical Trials utilizing psilocybin in a therapeutic setting to treat PTSD.