Psilocybin and other psychedelics may help prevent suicide

New research from Johns Hopkins and the University of Alabama. As it is well known that individuals with PTSD are more prone to suicidal behavior, this study adds convincing evidence that psilocybin must be high on the list of those researchers looking for promising treatments for PTSD and/or suicide.

Classic psychedelic use is associated with reduced psychological distress and suicidality in the United States adult population.
Mental health problems are endemic across the globe, and suicide, a strong corollary of poor mental health, is a leading cause of death. Classic psychedelic use may occasion lasting improvements in mental health, but the effects of classic psychedelic use on suicidality are unknown. We evaluated the relationships of classic psychedelic use with psychological distress and suicidality among over 190,000 USA adult respondents pooled from the last five available years of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2008-2012) while controlling for a range of covariates. Lifetime classic psychedelic use was associated with a significantly reduced odds of past month psychological distress (weighted odds ratio (OR)=0.81 (0.72-0.91)), past year suicidal thinking (weighted OR=0.86 (0.78-0.94)), past year suicidal planning (weighted OR=0.71 (0.54-0.94)), and past year suicide attempt (weighted OR=0.64 (0.46-0.89)), whereas lifetime illicit use of other drugs was largely associated with an increased likelihood of these outcomes. These findings indicate that classic psychedelics may hold promise in the prevention of suicide, supporting the view that classic psychedelics' most highly restricted legal status should be reconsidered to facilitate scientific study, and suggesting that more extensive clinical research with classic psychedelics is warranted.
Hendricks PS, Thorne CB, Clark CB, Coombs DW, Johnson MW. 
J Psychopharmacol. 2015 Jan 13. [Epub ahead of print] 
PMID: 25586402
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A write-up in AL.com features lead author Peter Hendricks, a professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Alabama Birmingham who elaborates on the research design and results:

Magic Mushrooms, LSD and other psychedelics might protect against depression and suicide

• Researchers culled the data from almost 200,000 responses to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
• People who said they used psychedelic drugs at least once in their life reported better mental health and fewer suicide attempts. 
• The results set psychedelics apart from other drugs. Lifetime users of substances such as cocaine, marijuana and heroin reported poorer mental health and a higher frequency of suicidal thoughts.
• After controlling for other variables, the research showed a strong correlation between use of psychedelics and better mental health.
• He would like to see the legal classification changed to Schedule 3 or 4, which would make it easier to study the substances in the lab.
• Hendricks said he thinks the improvement in mental health could come from the spiritual nature of the psychedelic experience.
• "Despite advances in mental health treatment, suicide rates have not declined," Hendricks said. "We have a problem with suicide and we don't seem to be getting better at preventing self-harm. It's exciting to think that this could be one of the interventions that could make a difference."
• Psychedelics could prove to be a one-time treatment with the possibility to change the lives of those suffering from mental illness.
• The drugs need to be administered in a controlled environment with medical supervision.

Below is a study that was posted previously and gives much support to the above article:

Psychedelics and mental health: a population study. 
Results: 21,967 respondents (13.4% weighted) reported lifetime psychedelic use. There were no significant associations between lifetime use of any psychedelics, lifetime use of specific psychedelics (LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, peyote), or past year use of LSD and increased rate of any of the mental health outcomes. Rather, in several cases psychedelic use was associated with lower rate of mental health problems. 
Krebs TS, Johansen PØ. 
PLoS One. 2013 Aug 19;8(8):e63972. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0063972. 
PMID: 23976938 
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