Forbes: Why The Future Of Mental Health Care May Lie In Psychedelics

Despite the fact that most non-COVID medical research and funding has come to a halt during the pandemic, there is one emerging field that is still forging ahead.
- Forbes Magazine, June 2020

Forbes Magazine published an article this week  that, while not surprising to the team at PCAI, reinforces that the legal use of psychedelics in research and treatment for a variety of ailments is not only already a bright light in the battle for mental health, but it continues to rally and gain support.

More specifically, the use of psychedelics has secured “the support of the FDA and medical community” at large.

Unlike medical cannabis, which is still navigating a litany of federal research restrictions, psychedelic substances, including ketamine, psilocybin and ibogaine, have been granted FDA approval for clinical trials. In fact, in 2018 and 2019, the FDA designated psilocybin, the psychoactive compound found in mushrooms, as a “Breakthrough Therapy” to treat clinical depression. This coveted classification allows the developers of the drug to conduct clinical trials with more regulatory support and fast-tracks the development and review of final treatments.

The support and need for continued research and discovery speaks volumes in terms of why the psychedelic space is so important:

The National Institutes of Health estimates that over 16.2 million Americans struggle with depression. Considering the marginal amount of money allocated to mental health care in the national stimulus package, the existing mental health system will be inundated with the number of cases that will certainly increase in the next few months. This, coupled with the fact that nearly 30% of depression cases are treatment-resistant, means the demand for more effective therapies will also escalate in a post-COVID world. 

You can read the entirety of the article here.