When the Swiss chemist synthesized and tested the psychedelic compound LSD in the 1930s, he knew he had found a tool to explore the human mind. Indeed, before psychedelics became illegal in the late 1960s, a mountain of evidence had been produced, showing potential benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapy for depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. After a decades-long hiatus, research on psychedelics as a treatment for psychiatric diseases is experiencing a renaissance—and initial results look promising. While the field has seen a setback with the recent request for more data by the FDA for the approval of MDMA for PTSD, research into different psychedelic compounds continues, promising new hopes to battle worldwide mental health crises.

In the newest episode of the BioRevolution podcast, Andreas Horchler and Louise von Stechow discuss the history, the promise, and the risks of psychedelics as treatments for psychiatric diseases with neuroscientist, psychedelics expert, and executive coach Galyna Pidpruzhnykova https://www.linkedin.com/in/galynapidpruzhnykova/ https://www.galynapipdpruzhnykova.com/ Galyna also outlines her efforts to develop a psychedelics strategy to battle the mental health crisis in Ukraine, where the Ministry of Health published a draft law for research on psychedelic compounds just a few days after we recorded this podcast. https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7308180815761330176/

Disclaimer: Louise von Stechow & Andreas Horchler and their guests express their personal opinions, which are founded on research on the respective topics, but do not claim to give medical, investment or even life advice in the podcast.

Learn more about the future of biotech in our podcasts and keynotes. Contact us here: scientific communication: https://science-tales.com/ Podcasts: https://www.podcon.de/ Keynotes: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/louise-von-stechow

Image: via Unsplash. Further reading:

1. https://maps.org/images/pdf/books/lsdmyproblemchild.pdf
2. https://www.inverse.com/article/14503-bicycle-day-albert-hofmann-lsd-acid-trip#:~:text=Can%20you%20imagine%20riding%20a%20bicycle%20on%20acid%3F,trip%20on%20acid.%20The%20rest%20is%20psychedelic%20history.
3. https://www.geo.de/wissen/weltgeschichte/albert-hofmann--der-lsd-entdecker-und-der-bicycle-day-34395822.html
4. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240910-the-ancient-history-behind-healing-trauma-with-psychedelics
5. https://www.theguardian.com/science/neurophilosophy/2014/sep/02/psychedelic-psychiatry
6. https://www.history.com/topics/us-government-and-politics/history-of-mk-ultra
7. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/08/psychedelic-drugs-treat-depression
8. https://theconversation.com/ptsd-and-psychoactive-drugs-mdma-treatment-shows-potential-but-others-lack-evidence-146092
9. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/ssris/art-20044825
10. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28132813/
11. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/ssris/art-20044825
12. https://bigthink.com/health/psychedelics-alcoholism/#rebelltitem2
13. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28132813/
14. https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38101439/&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1743244841695418&usg=AOvVaw2WTDgPrLK9v0qp6xKkrLwV
15. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2017.00974/full
16. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0022167817709585
17. https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/depression-statistics/
18. https://endpts.com/tech-billionaire-peter-thiel-backs-a-leading-psychedelic-drug-developer/
19. https://compasspathways.com/compass-pathways-receives-fda-breakthrough-therapy-designation-for-psilocybin-therapy-for-treatment-resistant-depression/
20. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41583-020-0367-2
21. https://www.vice.com/en/article/can-you-treat-ocd-with-shrooms-psychedelics/
22. http://www.workplacementalhealth.org/Mental-Health-Topics/Depression/Quantifying-the-Cost-of-Depression
23. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=Psilocybin&phase=1&draw=1&rank=3#rowId2
24. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-68399392
25. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02597-x
26. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/lykos-still-plotting-path-approval-rejected-mdma-therapy-after-productive-fda-meeting
27. https://ir.mindmed.co/news-events/press-releases/detail/171/mindmed-announces-first-patient-dosed-in-panorama-the-second-pivotal-phase-3-study-of-mm120-in-generalized-anxiety-disorder
28. https://www.statnews.com/2024/03/21/ibogaine-psychedelic-therapy-opioid-disorder-nora-volkow/
29. https://www.janssenlabels.com/package-insert/product-monograph/prescribing-information/SPRAVATO-pi.pdf
30. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tadeusz-hawrot_highly-important-news-from-ukraine-in-the-activity-7308083561843122176-Bxtq/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&rcm=ACoAAAsZ4ZwBNscM-AAK-FuoxSHqk2amEuFIjy0