Reasons
There’s a mental health crisis going on. Let’s face it.
Today, in the European Union, more than 1 out of 6 people are suffering from mental health conditions. More than ever before.
Depression, burnout syndromes, PTSD, insomnia, are just some of the problems touching millions of people of any age.
Mental ill-health issues cause suffering for the individual, families and communities and put tremendous pressure on the health, educational, economic, labor and social welfare systems across the EU member States.
The estimated cost is €600 billion, more than 4% of GPD per year. Each and everyone of us is concerned, either directly or indirectly.
An unseen mental health emergency is sweeping across the European Union, like a silent pandemic
Too frequently we are left with the same old treatments. Treatments that my father could have been given decades ago are still some of the latest treatments. We need to discover more about the brain and science in order to accelerate discovery for better treatments.
Pharmacology is showing its limits. And its problems.
Since the advent of SSRIs (antidepressants), in the last three decades, there has been no substantial innovations in the field of psychopharmacology.
A significant proportion of patients do not respond to the currently available psychiatric treatments.
Many mental conditions are still hard to treat, and people often face unpleasant side effects such as increased weight gains, insomnia, headaches and lack of libido.
Perhaps most importantly, some of these treatments require long-term or life-time use, treating symptoms rather than the roots that cause the conditions.
Science shows new old solutions which can be very effective.
Scientific research around the world highlights the therapeutic potential of psychedelic substances, often used by many cultures for centuries in tradition healing process.
With professional assistance and the right set and setting, just one or a few doses can produce very important benefits for the patients, which often last for a long period of time.
A growing body of medical findings indicates the effectiveness of psychedelic substances such as psilocybin, DMT, LSD, MDMA as medicines, when administered in a controlled clinical setting.
Psychedelic- assisted therapies (PATs) can provide safe, rapid acting, and robust clinical improvements with durable effects in, among others, the treatment of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, end of life anxiety, substance use disorders and addictions.
Millions of Europeans are in need of better treatments. We need to ensure that novel psychedelic treatments are being considered, as the science behind them hilights their immense potential.
Australia has already recognised and formalized the use of natural psychedelics for mental health. Additionally, psychedelics receive growing support from public authorities and agencies in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, among others.
