A new review of alternative treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) suggests that psilocybin-type psychedelics from mushrooms show promising medicinal effects, while cannabinoids from hemp do not.
“Forty to sixty percent of OCD patients achieve either partial or no relief with available treatments, including treatment with SSRI antidepressants and exposure and response prevention therapy. We wanted to really understand if there was any evidence for these substances that were said to be used as an additional treatment.” said Professor Michael Van Ameringen from McMaster University in Ontario.
After collecting the available evidence, Van Ameringen and his team revealed efficacy of psychedelics, specifically psilocybin (the psychoactive component of mushrooms), while cannabinoids such as THC and CBD have not confirmed this efficacy.
According to Van Ameringen, this likely has to do with how these substances affect the parts of the brain associated with OCD. “Cannabis activates the brain’s CB1 receptors, which regulate symptoms such as compulsions and anxiety, but available evidence shows that it does not provide lasting relief from OCD symptoms.” he said.
Psilocybin, on the other hand, can reduce connectivity in the brain’s neural circuitry involved in thinking about oneself. Psilocybin is known to induce a mystical experience characterized by a specific type and intensity of psychedelic effect. “With OCD, we see more of partial mystical experiences, people seem to slow down when they feel that psilocybin is leading them into a deeper state,” the authors state.
