Chemical in magic mushrooms could treat depression

  • 09/12/2016
Scientists are testing whether shrooms can treat depression (Getty)
Scientists are testing whether shrooms can treat depression (Getty)

Scientists are experimenting to find out whether magic mushrooms could treat depression after patients given the active chemical, psilocybin, showed improvements.

Dinah Bazer suffered from depression after treatment for ovarian cancer in 2010. 

"All I thought about was the cancer. I felt like it was destroying my life."

In 2012 she entered a study aimed at treating anxiety and depression in cancer patients using psilocybin.

Ms Bazer said her depression was gone after a single treatment.

Dr Steven Ross, from New York University Langone Medical centre, ran the study and said it was "highly common" for cancer patients to suffer from anxiety and depression.

"The idea was that drugs known to induce these mystical states of consciousness might help those who are having this domain of distress," he said.

Patients undertook treatment using the hallucinogenic drug with therapists present for support. 

Newshub.