Thursday, December 21, 2006

drugs and research

OK, did anyone else see the article yesterday proclaiming how hallucinogenic mushrooms briefly alleviate severe OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) symptoms? If not, you can find the BBC link here.

Now, on the one hand, this is kind of interesting. And may God bless and heal the poor people who suffer from this condition.

But there's another part of me that says, is this really news?! I mean, the idea that folks who struggle with incredibly rigid patterns of thinking and acting find short term relief when given hallucinogens? And how much money is being spent on this kind of research?

But in the spirit of this study, I am proposing to study the following:

1. Whether alcohol can provide short term relief to individuals struggling with mild to moderate social anxiety?

2. Whether cannabis (marijuana) can provide short term relief to individuals feeling "stressed out" or upset.

3. Whether stimulants can provide short term relief to individuals struggling with depression related fatigue.

Sigh.

I guess I just hope that there's research that hopes to find more of a long-term solution for people suffering from this condition (at, those who are unable to benefit from current interventions -- cognitive-behavioral treatments actually are remarkably effective for most).

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would like to volunteer to take part in your study :)

steve said...

becky,

Hey, any time! =)

Thanks for dropping by! Is this Becky P?

Anonymous said...

Yes, its me. getting caught up on your blog. i left a comment on an entry earlier in dec too.....sorry I have been so out of it!

steve said...

Good to have you back! And no apologies necessary. I should think you've had a lot on your plate lately!

Anonymous said...

Ha ha ha! Good point. I've struggled with a mild form of OCD, luckily SSRIs and therapy have helped me, but it's an awful disorder. Jennifer Traig wrote an awesome book about her experiences with it; her OCD included hyperreligiousity. I think she is still an observant Jew, but when her OCD was out of control she would follow the rules to the extreme and do such things like cut religious words out of newspapers before she could throw them away.

steve said...

Hi Lori,

Thanks for checking in. OCD can be truly vicious. I'm glad to hear that you've found an approach that works for you.