Given the many members who take, have taken, or will take anti-depressants (whether for depression or pain), I think this program might be of interest.
Unfortunately, it will not be accessible outside the UK - indeed, I am not even sure it will be broadcast in Northern Ireland!
However, because it is getting seriously off-topic, I shall close this post to replying.
The Psychedelic Drug Trial
9pm, BBC Two
As rates of depression continue to rise in the UK and the coronavirus pandemic promises significant mental health consequences, a team of scientists and therapists – led by former government drug adviser Prof David Nutt – present this 16-month study comparing the efficacy of psilocybin (the active ingredient of magic mushrooms) with that of an antidepressant. We follow the effects on a group of participants with clinical depression, including a paediatric nurse, an artist and a cafe owner. Ammar Kalia
theguardian.com/tv-and-radi...
The Psychedelic Drug Trial
Today 21:00
BBC Two except Northern Ireland & Northern Ireland HD
The Psychedelic Drug Trial has exclusive access to a ground-breaking new trial at Imperial College London. The trial sees, for the first time ever under controlled conditions, a psychedelic drug tested head-to-head against a standard antidepressant as a treatment for depression.
The film follows a pioneering team of scientists and psychotherapists, led by Professor David Nutt, Dr Robin Carhart-Harris and Dr Rosalind Watts, as they compare the effects of psilocybin (the active ingredient of magic mushrooms) with an antidepressant (an SSRI called escitalopram) on a small group of participants with clinical depression. This is scientific research at its most cutting edge. With over seven million people being prescribed antidepressants each year in England alone, this drug trial is an important milestone in understanding a completely different treatment for depression.
Filmed over 16 months, this film explores both the immediate and long-term impacts of the trial on the lives of participants. It investigates whether psychedelic drugs combined with psychological support could help tackle one of the biggest medical challenges faced today and what it takes to conduct research in uncharted scientific territory.
How do psychedelic drugs measure up against the industry-standard antidepressants that have been popular since the 1990s? The empirical results of the trial are explored alongside the participants’ powerful lived experience.
Been given a trial 😀
Why take a statin drug?
drug availability in the UK for hypothyroidism?
