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Growing interest in psychedelic treatments for mental illness, but expert warns more robust research needed

Ketamine, psilocybin and MDMA — the chemical in the street drug know as ecstasy — are being studied for their effects on mental health conditions such as PTSD and anxiety. (Photo credit: CBC News)

Studies are small in scale, should be viewed with ‘critical lens,’ says clinician scientist

After decades of therapy for anxiety and suicidal thoughts, nurse Stephanie Hug says she found relief from a 12-week pilot treatment program that combines the psychedelic anesthetic ketamine with psychotherapy.

“I had tried different medications, I exercised, I did the positive self-talk, you know, I tried so many things,” said Hug, an operating room nurse in Nanaimo, B.C.

Dr. Evan Wood, a professor of medicine at UBC in Vancouver, says there is “a real openness” to psychedelic-assisted therapies because existing treatments don’t work for everyone.

Click here for the full story on CBC News.