Health security

Mental Health’s New (Old) Secret Weapon: Psychedelics

New analysis of the most recent clinical trials on psychedelics is adding weight to the argument that once-shunned drugs may be the mental health field’s new secret weapon.

The paper, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) on Tuesday, sifts through the small, randomized trials of both classical psychedelics (LSD, magic mushrooms) and enactogens (MDMA). Both types of hallucinogens have shown promise in treating mental health conditions, many of them with little to no side effects. The authors note potentially dangerous interactions with the drugs, but suggest that controlled, scientific studies be increased—both in number and scale.