[toomanybeersies]

Not to delegitimise your experience, but every time there's a discussion on HN about recreational drugs, there's always someone who claims that MDMA/shrooms/LSD/ketamine/weed/etc cured their depression.

It's not just for mental health issues, but for any health issues, everyone on HN seems to have their pet cure. Just look at the 20 different (often contradictory) opinions that appear every time there's a discussion on diet or weight loss here.

I'm not saying that psychedelics (or other drugs) won't help with depression or other mental health issues, but from experience it's certainly not necessarily the cure-all like some people here like to make it out to be.

Different treatments work for different people in different situations. People should be wary of taking medical advice from Hacker News.

[codyb]

He's not saying it'll work for everybody but that people should have access to a treatment option which may work for them.

Let's not forget that this experience is not just this poster. There have been quite a few studies showing positive affects on the depressed with the use of hallucinogens.

Also, I'm not totally sure, and I may be wrong, but I have a feeling if you read that comment and are interested your first step isn't to immediately walk outside and go to Jam band concert to score some hallucinogens so you can test this theory out for yourself ;-). I have a feeling people do a bit more research.

But it's true especially for people with mental illness that hallucinogens should be taken with extreme care.

[atomical]

I agree with your sentiment, but there is a lot of off label prescribing and research on ketamine for depression. Much more so than any of the other substances.

It's still in its infancy and doctors are still scamming patients with $600+ IV infusions.

It's important to set the context. Those with treatment resistant mental illness are looking for other options. It makes sense, but often they are vulnerable to pseudoscience.

[jbob2000]

When you find a treatment for something that has been plaguing you for years, the only thing you want to do is shout it from the rooftops. GODDAMIT IM FREE! Here’s how I did it...