Psychedelic Treatments May Relieve Depression and Anxiety Among Patients With Advanced Cancer

Psychedelic drugs appear to decrease depression and anxiety symptoms in cancer patients more substantially than prescription antidepressants.
Psychedelic medications alone significantly reduced patients' depression scores and anxiety scores.
Psychedelic-oriented talk therapy may be especially effective for helping patients cope with the trauma of a terminal cancer diagnosis.
Although preliminary, the findings suggest psychedelic treatments could benefit patients with other life-threatening diseases that cause trauma, anxiety, or depression.
Further research is still needed to determine the potential of psychedelic treatments as an alternative to prescription antidepressants.