[Stupulous]

As a depression treatment, it far exceeds the state-of-the-art SSRIs, which perform only slightly better than placebo. It's cheaper, more effective, and lasts longer. ~10% of Americans suffer from depression, and more than a third of them don't respond to SSRIs at all. Dramatically reducing the suffering of 3% of the population at net-negative cost is a big deal.

For comparison to topics-de-jour, in the US 0.3% of the population will get an abortion in a given year, 3.5% are gay/bi, 0.3% are trans, <0.03% die from gun violence (and over half are suicides potentially reduced by this treatment) each year, and about 1/40th of them are killed by law enforcement. Improvements in these areas will have a smaller effect size (ie. protecting gay marriage will not improve the lives of gay people as much as curing someone's depression will, gun control will not end all gun violence).

Big caveat here is that this treatment is relatively new, and depression treatments tend to be promising initially with results that fade in the long term. Additionally, the legalization of that treatment does not mean everyone who needs it will get it. On the other hand, depression is only one of the many issues that can be treated with psychadelics. We'll have to wait and see

[bradly]

Fwiw at least in the US it not likely to be cheaper. Until covered by insurance, a professionally administered experience will most likely be be similar to a guided ketemine session which is currently around $450 a session when it costs penny to make.

[asdff]

I get why some people would want or need a physician, but these drugs should be offered at cost in take home form too. We let people take opioids and amphetamines at home without supervision, and for most people that's fine.

[sowbug]

I'm with you in spirit, but practically speaking it's an excellent idea to have a friend with experience to accompany you during your first session.

Even if your friend just sits there for four hours while reading a book, it's comforting to know that someone you trust is there to say "yes" when you start asking "is this really happening?" That can make the difference between a wonderful experience and an alarming one.

[bradly]

They do. Sublingual ketemine is about $3 a dosage with a prescription, but it is usually only offered after a series of IV or IM treatments.

[more_corn]

Compare that to SSRIs that you have to take for 3 weeks before they either succeed or fail (and have unpleasant side effects). Also suicide while coming down off of SSRIs is unfortunately very common.

Contrast with: One session of psychedelic assisted therapy has been shown to offer months of relief from depression.

I’m not saying it’s a magic cure, just that we owe it to ourselves to continue to study psychedelic assisted therapy.

[StanislavPetrov]

>Fwiw at least in the US it not likely to be cheaper.

It is much cheaper if you have cows nearby.

[lostmsu]

I am curious about side effects, especially long term IQ changes.

[Stupulous]

Absolutely, I should have brought up risks as well. Triggering early schizophrenia is a big one, personality changes also seem like a significant concern. I'm not aware of any IQ changes- if you have a study, send it my way if you please. If you're just gesturing at the fact that long-term research is lacking, I'm very much in agreement.

[w1nst0nsm1th]

Hallucigenic drugs are probably not good for math performance.