# A new generation of research shows hallucinogens could treat addiction, depression, and PTSD **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 2, 2017, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-generation-of-research-shows-hallucinogens-could-treat-addiction-depression-and-ptsd/795284 "2017-09-02T00:15:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-generation-of-research-shows-hallucinogens-could-treat-addiction-depression-and-ptsd/795284/1 "2017-09-02T00:15:20Z")
> [@](#): > > A new generation of research shows hallucinogens could treat addiction, depression, and PTSD. > > The Field of Psychedelic Medicine Is in the Midst of a Resurgence > > After decades of abandonment, psychedelics are getting new attention from researchers who are proving these medicines can treat addiction, depression, PTSD, and other disorders — but political and regulatory hurdles for widespread acceptance remain. > > Read more here. > [The Field of Psychedelic Medicine Is in the Midst of a Resurgence](https://futurism.com/the-field-of-psychedelic-medicine-is-in-the-midst-of-a-resurgence/) What are people thought on this? Do you think it will work or is it to early to tell? Why so long that hallucinogens where really bad for you and now they are turning to hallucinogens? ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-generation-of-research-shows-hallucinogens-could-treat-addiction-depression-and-ptsd/795284/2 "2017-09-02T01:07:45Z")
[Here’s an article](Here’s an article) about how hallucinogens are being used, and their history. Unfortunately, because of twits like Timothy Leary, their reasonable use in medicine has been largely verboten for some time. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-generation-of-research-shows-hallucinogens-could-treat-addiction-depression-and-ptsd/795284/3 "2017-09-02T01:18:24Z")
I listened to the “You Made It Weird” podcast featuring the Stanley brothers from Colorado (Charlotte’s Web Oil). There was a lot of chat about CBDs and then micro-dosing with psychedelics to help treat conditions like PTSD. It’s intriguing. PTSD remains a bloody tough thing to treat, I think anything is worth a try. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-generation-of-research-shows-hallucinogens-could-treat-addiction-depression-and-ptsd/795284/4 "2017-09-02T02:55:12Z")
Well good luck getting any meaningful change re: national drug policy with Mr. Mackey, er, Jeff Sessions as AG. ---
**Author:** ![Stringbean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Stringbean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringbean)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-generation-of-research-shows-hallucinogens-could-treat-addiction-depression-and-ptsd/795284/5 "2017-09-02T04:13:38Z")
The loss of ego that accompanies psychedelics is nature’s most powerful tool for remaking oneself. The reality is that many among us cannot handle this experience. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-generation-of-research-shows-hallucinogens-could-treat-addiction-depression-and-ptsd/795284/6 "2017-09-02T12:58:27Z")
Potentially relevant: [Is Pharma Research Worse Than Chance? | Slate Star Codex](http://slatestarcodex.com/2017/06/05/is-pharma-research-worse-than-chance/) > [@](#): > > For me it’s about the weird inability of intentional psychopharmaceutical research to discover anything as good as things random druggies use to get high. > > For decades, pharmaceutical companies have been coming out with relatively lackluster mental health offerings – aripiprazole, pimavanserin, and all the rest. And when asked why, they answer that mental health is hard, the brain is the most complicated organ in the known universe, we shouldn’t expect there to be great cures with few side effects for psychiatric diseases, and if there were we certainly shouldn’t expect them to be easy to find. > > And this would make sense except in the context of ketamine and MDMA. Here are some random chemicals that affect the brain in some random way, which people were using mostly because they felt good at raves, and huh, they seem to treat psychiatric diseases much better than anything produced by some of the smartest people in the world working for decades on ways to treat psychiatric diseases. Why should that be? It’s about time we started examining these drugs more carefully for potential positive effects. ---
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2017, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-generation-of-research-shows-hallucinogens-could-treat-addiction-depression-and-ptsd/795284/7 "2017-09-04T20:56:54Z")
> [@Poysyn](#): > > I listened to the “You Made It Weird” podcast featuring the Stanley brothers from Colorado (Charlotte’s Web Oil). There was a lot of chat about CBDs and then micro-dosing with psychedelics to help treat conditions like PTSD. > > It’s intriguing. PTSD remains a bloody tough thing to treat, I think anything is worth a try. > [@asahi](#): > > Well good luck getting any meaningful change re: national drug policy with Mr. Mackey, er, Jeff Sessions as AG. What are you saying it going to be hard to make psychedelics legal? Because lot of people abuse psychedelics? And psychedelics was bad? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-generation-of-research-shows-hallucinogens-could-treat-addiction-depression-and-ptsd/795284/8 "2017-09-05T12:30:29Z")
> [@](#): > > And this would make sense except in the context of ketamine and MDMA. Here are some random chemicals that affect the brain in some random way, which people were using mostly because they felt good at raves, and huh, they seem to treat psychiatric diseases much better than anything produced by some of the smartest people in the world working for decades on ways to treat psychiatric diseases. Why should that be? Before we ask why that should be, first let’s establish that it is. Because you are correct - it would be unusual to find that some random party drugs work better than researched pharmaceuticals. And therefore we need to see that they do. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-generation-of-research-shows-hallucinogens-could-treat-addiction-depression-and-ptsd/795284/9 "2017-09-05T13:03:59Z")
[Here’s a fairly typical story](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170808145443.htm) about how psychedelic drugs _might_ be useful in treating mental disorders. Whether this is true (and whether the number of those helped would exceed the number of those developing or exacerbating mental illness due to such drug use) awaits rigorous research and clinical studies. For those whose main agenda is drug legalization (as in the case of many pot proponents), evidence-based medicine is a secondary or tertiary consideration. ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2017, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-generation-of-research-shows-hallucinogens-could-treat-addiction-depression-and-ptsd/795284/10 "2017-09-05T13:30:16Z")
The best article I’ve ever read on the subject: > **[The Trip Treatment](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/02/09/trip-treatment)** > > Research into psychedelics may hold a key to coping with anxiety, addiction, and existential dread. Michael Pollan on psilocybin. TLDR: The studies done so far are very promising indeed.