Psilocybin to Improve Mental Health: with Jennifer Campbell

Psilocybin, a hallucinogen derived from certain mushrooms, is receiving a lot of attention lately in the research community and Johns Hopkins University has just recommended that this compound be reclassified for medicinal use to treat depression, anxiety and to help people stop smoking.  What is psilocybin and does it have lasting beneficial effects on depression and anxiety?  How does it impact our brain?   Learn more about the effect of psilocybin with guest Jennifer Campbell, MA.

I met Jennifer Campbell, in San Francisco this past August where she presented on the topic: “Psilocybin in the Therapeutic Milieu” at the American Psychological Association’s Annual Convention.  Her presentation was fascinating and I asked Jennifer if she would come onto the show to share these research findings with listeners.   Jennifer is  finishing up her Clinical Psychology PhD studies at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, California and works in neuropsychological and rehabilitation psychology at the Texas NeuroRehab Center.  

Disclaimer:  please note that I am a doctoral level psychologist, not a physician.  Do not make medical decisions on the basis of information from today’s podcast without discussing it fully with your physician.    Psychology America with Dr. Alexandra is neither advocating for the illegal use of psilocybin nor recommending that it be taken to treat anxiety and depression. Instead, with a spirit of openness to new learning, we are sharing what research is discovering about this interesting compound and its impact on mental health.   To learn more about clinical trials being done on psilocybin in the United States, go to clinicaltrials.gov and search hallucinogens.  Also search London based compasspathways.com.

P.S.  For those who love neuroscience:  Psilocybin is a 5HT2 receptor agonist in contrast to SSRIs, which target 5HT1A receptors.

Relevant articles: 
https://nyti.ms/2P87IGH

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-13282-7

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0269881116675512

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(16)30065-7/fulltext

https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ajp-rj.2016.110605

http://www.eurekaselect.com/111922/article   

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