Researchers theorize that psychedelic substances differ from other recreational drugs because they do not lead to compulsive use or addiction and neither do they harm an individual’s brain. An analysis conducted by researchers from the Department of Neuroscience at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology proves this, having found that the use of peyote, psilocybin mushrooms or LSD does not increase an individual’s risk of developing mental health conditions.
They also found no association between various mental health conditions and the use of psychedelic substances, but they did discover significant links between fewer metal health issues and the use of psychedelic substances.
Pål-Ørjan Johansen, who is a clinical psychologist, and Teri Krebs, who were both part of the study, utilized data obtained from a national health survey conducted in the United States between 2001 and 2004, which had more than 130,000 participants, including more than 20,000 individuals who had used psychedelics at least once.
The study was reported in the “PLOS ONE” journal.
Johansen explained that while every substance had some potential for negative effects, the use of psychedelics was generally considered to pose a very low risk to society and to the individual, adding that psychedelics were known to induce temporary feelings of confusion and anxiety but accidents that caused serious injuries were very rare.
During the survey, each participant was asked about mental health symptoms and treatments for a variety of mental health conditions, with a focus on psychosis, mood disorders, anxiety disorders and psychological distress. This information allowed the researchers to assess if there were any links between specific or general mental health problems and the use of psychedelics.
Johansen stated that after they’d adjusted for other risk factors, the researchers found that past-yearuse of LSD and lifetime use of mescaline or psilocybin was linked to lower rates of severe psychological distress. Lifetime use of LSD was also considerably linked to lower rates of psychiatric medicine prescription and outpatient mental health treatment.
In the report, the researchers observed that despite these findings, they couldn’t rule out the possibility that using psychedelic drugs may have a negative effect on mental health for some groups or individuals. However, they noted that clinical trials had also not found any evidence of lasting harmful effects of psychedelic drugs, with Johansen adding that other studies had discovered no evidence of social or health problems among individuals who had consumed psychedelics a number of times in religious ceremonies that were legally protected.
This long history of psychedelic use by various communities means that companies such as XPhyto Therapeutic Corp. (CSE: XPHY) (OTCQB: XPHYF) (FSE: 4XT) may not have a lot of work to do to prove the safety profile of medicines made from psychedelics, including psilocybin and MDMA.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to XPhyto Therapeutics Corp. (CSE: XPHY) (OTCQB: XPHYF) (FSE: 4XT) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/XPHYF
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