The psychedelic renaissance: moving beyond stigma toward a breakthrough mental health treatment

Psychedelics (also called hallucinogens) are powerful mind-altering substances that can temporarily induce hallucinations by affecting the serotonin receptors in the brain responsible for controlling the senses. Popular psychedelics include lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD/acid), psilocybin (magic mushrooms), and ketamine. Psychedelics have been used in religious settings for thousands of years, but developed a social stigma in the 1960’s due to widespread recreational use by “hippies” and youth involved in counter-cultural and anti-war movements in the US and beyond. These substances were finally made illegal in the US in 1970. Fifty years later, psychedelics are re-entering the mainstream as a potential breakthrough for various hard-to-treat mental health conditions, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD). A May 2019 approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of a ketamine-derivative substance (in therapeutic settings) has raised the possibilities of more widespread commercialization of psychedelics. Since then, the nascent industry—still mostly in the research stage—has garnered significant investor interest, some of whom are anticipating a cannabis-like boom.