Recent scientific studies have shown certain psychedelic drugs to be effective in treating individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Recently, treatment developer NeuroPharm Inc. announced that it would be conducting clinical trials on the treatment of PTSD in veterans. The first drug that they will be studying is psilocybin, the main psychedelic compound found in different varieties of mushrooms.

This is not the first time that psychedelics have been thought to be able to treat mental illness. Dr. Rakesh Jetly, Head of the Centre of Excellence on Mental Health in Ottawa, says that they have been used for years to help treat different mental illnesses. Bringing up studies of the usage of MDMA to treat PTSD and psilocybin for depression, he stated, “In fact, there are many well-designed and executed studies that have been published in peer-reviewed journals. Prestigious universities and academics are heavily involved in the studies.”

There has also been recent research presented by the Medical University of South Carolina’s Dr. Michael Mithoefer that shows the efficacy of both MDMA and psilocybin in treating PTSD. He conducted six phase 2 clinical trials which resulted in findings showing that those who took MDMA showed more improvement among patients than those who didn’t.

While the legal status of these drugs is an obstacle to overcome, there seem to be a number of clinical trials for MDMA that are moving to phase 3 trials, which is the final phase of trials before they get FDA approval. This is helpful news for some, as some people believe that the current pandemic will cause a number of individuals to develop PTSD.