Tuesday, November 12

Landmark trial to treat debilitating grief with magic mushrooms

A world-first Queensland trial is to use an ingredient from “magic mushrooms” to treat prolonged and overwhelming grief.

QIMR Berghofer researchers are leading the landmark trial of a new psychedelic treatment in combination with psychotherapy.

It will be first time psilocybin, a psychedelic compound found in about 200 species of mushroom, will be used in the grief project.

Psilocybin has already been approved in Australia for use in relation to treatment-resistant depression.

Up to 15 participants are being sought for the pilot study, which will investigate whether the new treatment is acceptable to and safe for people with prolonged grief, specifically in people who have lost a loved one to any form of cancer.

Principal investigator, Associate Professor Vanessa Beesley said they hoped to offer a way forward for people with the debilitating mental health condition, which occurs when symptoms of grief don’t subside after more than a year.

Read more at the Courier Mail