The dangers of illegal drugs are well known and rarely disputed, but how harmful are alcohol and tobacco by comparison? … read more
Cannabis is a class B drug in the UK but is in use for therapeutic purposes in a number of countries for various diseases, and a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports has reported that e-cigarette devices could be effective in administering therapeutic doses of the drug. read more
Psilocybin, the active component of magic mushrooms, is being seriously considered as a therapy for people with treatment-resistant depression. One in five people suffer from depression at some point in their lives – a significant proportion of whom cannot be helped with any current psychotherapy or drugs. In 2012 researchers published a paper which used fMRI scans to show the effects of psilocybin on the brain. A related paper, published at the same time, suggested that psilocybin could be a useful tool in psychotherapy. The researchers have now gone on to test the safety of psilocybin in a small group of patients with treatment-resistant depression. They are publishing their new findings, funded by the Medical Research Council, in The Lancet Psychiatry. read more
Psilocybin, the active component of magic mushrooms, is being seriously considered as a therapy for people with treatment-resistant depression. Publishing in The Lancet Psychiatry journal a group researchers have now gone on to test the safety of psilocybin in a small group of patients with treatment-resistant depression. read more
A study in mice published in the journal Nature has reported that a metabolite from the breakdown of ketamine is responsible for antidepressant effects of the drug. read more
Publishing in The BMJ a group of researchers has reanalysed the safety and effectiveness of two antidepressants when used in adolescents, reporting that neither was clinically or statistically better than a placebo. read more
A UK military healthcare worker has today been discharged from the Royal Free hospital and declared free of Ebola after being the first person in the world to be treated using the experimental drug MIL 77. read more