According to an article in The Independent on the 30th, a study published in Communications Medicine indicates that most veterans suffering from refractory severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) experienced symptom relief after receiving psilocybin treatment.
A research team at Ohio State University found that 9 out of 12 veterans tested no longer met the diagnostic criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder one month after treatment ended.
Study co-authors Stacy Armstrong said, "The results are quite eye-catching, particularly in terms of patients with severe intractable traumatic stress disorder."
This 11-week trial combined psychotherapy with two doses of psilocybin, followed by complementary integrative psychological counseling. Researchers said that the most common side effects during the trial were only mild headaches.
According to reports, as this research findings are being announced, the Trump administration is pushing for expanded research on hallucinogenic drugs. In April of this year, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order requiring federal health agencies to accelerate the approval process for hallucinogenic therapies and increase funding for related medical research.
Currently, under U.S. federal law, psilocybin remains a Schedule 1 controlled substance, defined as having no recognized medical use and posing a high risk of abuse.
According to reports, the research team plans to conduct a continuous follow-up of the subjects for up to 6 months. They are also seeking funding to facilitate larger-scale randomized controlled clinical trials.
