A new analysis published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal on Tuesday found that psychedelic drugs, including LSD, MDMA and "magic mushrooms" can have beneficial effects on patients with addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety, according to The Globe and Mail. The analysis found that psychotherapy in combination with dosages of LSD can reduce anxiety stemming from terminal illness, according to Medical Daily. The researchers also reviewed a small study that showed the positive effects of psilocybin mushrooms for alcohol addiction.
"We're hoping to reduce the kind of stigma, for lack of a better word, around this area of scientific investigation," said Evan Wood, one of the authors of the study. "I think there has to be some acknowledgment that the traditional approach that's been taken in mental health hasn't really been effective."
Psychedelic drugs are powerful compounds that can alter the way that people think and feel, giving them the potential to have very positive or very negative effects on the brain, depending on how they are used.
The positive effects of psychedelics were researched in the 1950s and 60s, but failure of many scientists to enforce ethical rules and principles caused strict restrictions on the class of drugs that are only slowly beginning to loosen.
"We need a bit of a rethink," Wood said. "The re-emerging paradigm of psychedelic medicine may open clinical doors and therapeutic doors long closed."
The analysis comes after numerous studies in the past year have found positive therapeutic effects for various psychedelic drugs, according to CBS News.
