Study Shows People Who Use Psychedelics Were Under Less Stress During Covid-19 Lockdowns

“Based on the data collected, lifetime use of psychedelics was associated with less psychological stress during Covid-19 lockdowns. Personality trait measurements give the results some additional context. In personality tests, people who used psychedelics scored higher on scales for novelty seeking and self-transcendence, and lower for cooperativeness. “

“Authors write that there are several things to consider before assuming psychedelics are entirely responsible for lower stress levels during lockdown, including better mental health measures among users, like more time spent outdoors, and healthy habits, such as a good diet and less time watching Covid-related news.”

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BBC Future profile on Psychedelics

BBC Future profiles MAPS Founder Rick Doblin, Ph.D., in an extensive article exploring the international impact of psychedelics on science, drug policy, culture, and medicine.

By highlighting the rapid increase in psychedelic research over the past ten years, Ed Prideaux of BBC explains how clinical trial results, favorable media coverage, and the potential development of new mental health treatments are steadily moving the public perception of psychedelics toward mainstream acceptance.

"Now the efforts of Doblin and others are finally paying off,” writes Prideaux. "Promising clinical trials suggest that psychedelics may prove game-changing treatments for depression, PTSD and addiction."

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Latest Research on Psychedelics and Depression

Here’s the latest on how there is a shift in psychiatry toward a new way of thinking about depression, its causes, and therapies.

The profession’s long embrace of the “monoamine hypothesis” — the idea that depression primarily results from abnormal levels of neurotransmitter chemicals in the brain and that drugs can restore the proper balance — is giving way to a more complex understanding and alternative treatments, from ketamine to psychedelics to magnetic stimulation.

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