In the last decade, a number of research groups in Europe and the Americas have conducted studies into the safety and effectiveness of psychedelics for conditions such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but the Imperial Centre for Psychedelic Research is the first to gain this level of stature within a major academic institution.
When delivered safely and professionally, psychedelic therapy holds a great deal of promise for treating some very serious mental health conditions.
Dr Robin Carhart-Harris
Head of the Centre for Psychedelic Research
Ours was the first Centre in the world to investigate the brain effects of LSD using modern brain imaging and the first to study psilocybin – the active compound in magic mushrooms – for treating severe depression. These studies have laid the groundwork for larger trials that are now taking place around the world. Other pioneering work from the group includes breakthrough neuroimaging research with psilocybin, MDMA and DMT (the psychoactive compounds found in ecstasy and ayahuasca respectively).
Earlier this year the group began a new trial directly comparing psilocybin therapy with a conventional antidepressant drug in patients with depression – a study for which they are still recruiting volunteers. Building on this, they also plan to begin another new trial next year to explore the safety and feasibility of psilocybin for treating patients with anorexia.
Dr Carhart-Harris adds: “It may take a few years for psychedelic therapy to be available for patients, but research so far has been very encouraging. Early stage clinical research has shown that when delivered safely and professionally, psychedelic therapy holds a great deal of promise for treating some very serious mental health conditions and may one day offer new hope to vulnerable people with limited treatment options.”
If you are a student interested in conducting research with our Centre, please see the page join our research team.
@article{Carhart-Harris:2017:10.1038/npp.2017.84,
author = {Carhart-Harris, RL and Goodwin, GM},
doi = {10.1038/npp.2017.84},
journal = {Neuropsychopharmacology},
pages = {2105--2113},
title = {The therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs: past, present and future},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/npp.2017.84},
volume = {42},
year = {2017}
}
TY - JOUR
AB - Plant-based psychedelics, such as psilocybin, have an ancient history of medicinal use. After the first English language report on LSD in 1950, psychedelics enjoyed a short-lived relationship with psychology and psychiatry. Used most notably as aids to psychotherapy for the treatment of mood disorders and alcohol dependence, drugs such as LSD showed initial therapeutic promise before prohibitive legislature in the mid-1960s effectively ended all major psychedelic research programs. Since the early 1990s, there has been a steady revival of human psychedelic research: last year saw reports on the first modern brain imaging study with LSD and three separate clinical trials of psilocybin for depressive symptoms. In this circumspective piece, RLC-H and GMG share their opinions on the promises and pitfalls of renewed psychedelic research, with a focus on the development of psilocybin as a treatment for depression.
AU - Carhart-Harris,RL
AU - Goodwin,GM
DO - 10.1038/npp.2017.84
EP - 2113
PY - 2017///
SN - 1740-634X
SP - 2105
TI - The therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs: past, present and future
T2 - Neuropsychopharmacology
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/npp.2017.84
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/48247
VL - 42
ER -