New psilocybin data spark favorable social media conversation among HCPs in US
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Psilocybin is one the most well-known psychedelics — and one of the most widely touted for its potential to confer benefit in the medical setting.
It is a naturally occurring substance produced by more than 200 species of fungi; hence its common name, magic mushrooms.
It can produce positive and negative effects on the user, including euphoria, visual and mental hallucinations, changes in perception and a distorted sense of time.
Medical studies from as early as the 1960s have documented psilocybin’s potentially negative effects — typically “bad trips” (ie, experiences of fear or dysphoria).
However, an increasing amount of research has explored its use to treat drug dependence, anxiety or mood disorders. In some cases, psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin have been deemed less harmful than alcohol or tobacco.
An analysis of social media posts by CREATION.co revealed health care professionals in various specialties engaging in the online conversation about psilocybin, particularly with regard to studies.
HCP engagement
The most engaged physicians are those who specialize in addiction medicine, neurology, psychiatry and palliative care. Some nurses also participated in the online conversation, and a high number of psychotherapists — including clinical psychologists — also were active.
In mid-June, psychiatrist Emily Deans, MD, of Wellcare Physicians Group LLC in Massachusetts posted multiple times during the Psychiatry Update Spring 2022 conference using the hashtag #PsychUpdateSpring22 about the latest data that showed some benefits from psilocybin use with no serious adverse events.
In July, health care professionals (HCPs) — especially many nonphysician psychotherapy specialists — shared an article published by The New York Times titled “Taking the Magic Out of Magic Mushrooms.”
In this opinion essay, guest author Dana G. Smith — a health and science writer and former psychology researcher — discussed the debate among researchers about how hallucinations produced by psilocybin may be key to treating mental health disorders.
The biggest impact on the HCP conversation over the past 3 months — driven by addiction medicine specialists, psychiatrists and psychotherapists — was a study that showed the effectiveness of psilocybin for reducing excessive drinking.
Although the sample size was small, the response was very positive.
Rick Barnett, PsyD, a licensed psychologist in Vermont, called the data “good stuff” in an exchange with psychologist Jason Luoma, PhD, adding he had been “waiting [on the] data for a few years.”
However, HCPs are not just sharing data about psilocybin.
In the past 3 months, HCPs have made some passionate cases on social media.
For example, Nishant Gogna — a fourth-year medical student at PCOM Georgia — tweeted the following: “I 100% believe psilocybin is the answer to our mental health struggles. Nonaddictive, excellent safety profile and efficacious. It’s time we study psilocybin in earnest.”
Peter Grinspoon, MD, a primary care physician at Harvard Medicine, tweeted a news article about the study showing psilocybin’s ability to reduce excessive drinking, saying: “I’ve seen this in practice; you lose your cravings for alcohol & don’t even have to ‘white knuckle’ it.”
‘Keep an open mind’
Although less common, some HCPs have expressed caution about getting carried away with psilocybin data.
Gregory Katz, MD, cardiologist and assistant professor of medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, tweeted that the data so far are “*super* interesting.” However, so far there has been “more hope and hype than major evidence of benefit,” Katz said in a tweet.
David Rettew, MD, a child and adolescent psychiatrist and medical director of Lane County Behavioral Health in Oregon, shared a similar sentiment.
“Very mixed on this,” Rettew said in a tweet. “We need better treatments for mental health problems, but we’ve seen so many things look good at first only to fade or prove harmful. Trying to keep an open mind.”
With most HCPs in the online conversation onboard with the idea of the medical use of psilocybin, as more data emerges there could be an increased movement online to get treatments through the authorization stages and into clinical settings.
If and when HCPs start treating patients en masse with psilocybin — and real-world data emerges — it will be important to monitor the impact on mental health treatment.
For those involved with research, marketing and deployment of psilocybin as a treatment option, it will be essential to keep a finger on the pulse of emerging HCP needs and concerns during this phase to optimize the use of this innovative substance for patients.
References:
Bogenschutz MP, et al. JAMA Psychiatry. 2022;doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.2096.
What is the most dangerous drug? Available at: www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2019/06/25/what-is-the-most-dangerous-drug. Published June 25, 2019. Accessed Sept. 29, 2022.
Dr. Rick Barnett, PsyD (@drrickbarnett). Sept. 14, 2022. Twitter.
Dr. Heather Berlin (@heather_berlin). July 17, 2022. Twitter.
Emily Deans MD (@evolutionarypsy). June 18, 2022. Twitter.
Nishant (@NishantGogna). June 12, 2022. Twitter.
Peter Grinspoon, MD (@Peter_Grinspoon). Aug. 26, 2022. Twitter.
Greg Katz MD (@gregorykatz). Sept. 10, 2022. Twitter.
PediPsych (@pedipsych). June 9, 2022. Twitter.
Smith DG. Taking the magic out of magic mushrooms. The New York Times. Published July 17, 2022. Accessed Nov. 9, 2022.
For more information:
Creation Healthcare is a specialist digital insights consultancy providing research and analysis to inform health strategy, communications and policymaking among some of the world’s largest health care companies, government organizations and non-government organizations. For more information, click here.
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