Doctors in Australia have started prescribing MDMA and psilocybin - more commonly known as street drugs ecstasy and magic mushrooms - to treat mental illness. The psychoactive compound from mushrooms will be used to treat depression and MDMA will be used for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The changes come into effect on Saturday, making Australia the first country to classify psychedelics as medicines.
Up to two million people in Australia could qualify for the new drugs, which can be prescribed by psychiatrists.
They cannot be used at home and will be given in supervised clinical settings.
PTSD is a persistent, distressing neuropsychological condition, triggered by witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event. Symptoms include intrusive memories, recurrent nightmares, avoidance, mood swings, and changes in physical and emotional reactions.
The common treatment is psychotherapy but researchers from Semmelweis University, Budapest, found that combining it with drugs had a more beneficial effect. Lead author Dr Xenia Gonda, assistant professor at the University said: “Psychotherapy is still the first choice for PTSD treatment.
"There is no effective established pharmacological treatment specifically for PTSD, however psychotherapies may have a limited availability, are very lengthy and expensive. In addition, there are several different psychotherapeutic methods and only very few evidence-based interventions."
He added: "We are beginning to see new approaches to PTSD treatment, which combines psychotherapy and medication. Both the psychotherapy and the drug treatment have an effect independently, but they often work together synergistically.
"There are several such drugs in development, but our review shows that newer psychedelic drugs seem to be the stand-out candidates in this treatment.
"It’s important to say that it’s not the psychedelic nature of the drugs that seem to have the beneficial effect in PTSD, these drugs seem to work, at least in part, by enhancing the actions of psychotherapy at a neurological level. The review found that MDMA-assisted psychotherapy showed the greatest promise so far, with four trials showing significantly superior outcomes to those experience by patients receiving only psychotherapy."
Other trials using psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, also show promise, however they say additional data is needed to validate the benefits. Dr Santiago Madero from the Hospital Clinic, Barcelona who did not take part in the study commented: “This review article has come at a time where President Biden’s administration has said they anticipate regulators approving MDMA within the next two years for designated breakthrough therapies for PTSD, surely to be followed by the European regulatory agencies.
“MDMA may revolutionise the treatment of PTSD providing therapeutic benefits beyond all current and existing pharmacotherapies."
The study was published in the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology.
Experiments on mice found a single dose of psilocybin boosted brain cells that become damaged in patients.
What's more, the benefits were immediate - and long-lasting. The study could lead to better treatments for the most common mental illness.
Study senior author Professor Alex Kwan said: "We not only saw a 10 per cent increase in the number of neuronal connections but also they were on average about 10 per cent larger - so they were stronger as well."
Previous lab tests have suggested psilocybin - as well as 'party drug' ketamine - combat 'the blues'.
The latest study in Neuron showed they increase the density of 'dendritic spines' - tiny knobs on nerve cells that help neurons communicate.
Chronic stress and depression are known to reduce the number.
The team at Yale University in Connecticut tracked them in the rodents for days with a high resolution laser-scanning microscope.
They identified rises in both quantity and size - within 24 hours of psilocybin injections.The changes were still present a month later.
Mice subjected to stress also showed behavioural improvements and improved brain activity after receiving the drug.
In some, magic mushrooms produce a profound mystical experience - inspiring pop songs, paintings and literature.
They are depicted in cave art from North Africa dating abck more than 10,000 years.
The Aztecs of Central America considered the fungi a gift from the gods, taking them during sacred rituals.
They are also a popular recreational drug - along with the horse tranquilliser ketamine.
Prof Kwan believes it's the novel psychological effects of psilocybin itself that spurs the growth of neuronal connections.
He said: "It was a real surprise to see such enduring changes from just one dose of psilocybin.
"These new connections may be the structural changes the brain uses to store new experiences."
One-in-five British adults have experienced depression during the pandemic - double the normal rate.
Earlier this year a study by Imperial College London found psilocybin was better than anti-depressant escitalopram in alleviating symptoms in 59 patients.
