Mental illness psilocybin

Though psilocybin is known as a natural hallucinogen and has a reputation of being gentler than LSD, it is still known to cause panic attacks, bad trips, and to precipitate mental illness in some people. In 1998, a study at the Psychiatric University Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland, demonstrated that psilocybin produces a psychosis-like syndrome in healthy humans that is similar to early schizophrenia. The study showed that psilocybin-induced psychosis was due to serotonin-2A receptor activation and was not dependent on dopamine stimulation. 

Ingesting Psilocybe mushrooms has been known to precipitate long-term mental illness including paranoia, depression, and psychosis. It is uncertain as to whether the user would have eventually developed these conditions in the absence of psilocybin. However, there does appear to be an increased risk of developing chronic mental problems after the use of psilocybin if the user has a family history of mental illness. 

According to the 1999 Ontario Student Dmg Use Survey, researchers note that substance abuse disorders account for the most prevalent mental health conditions in young people. As the abusing population increases, so will future clinical needs of this population. Psilocybin use can precipitate long-term mental illness. 

Similarly, the mycophilia t5q)ical of ancient Mexican cultures goes hand in hand with a general social acceptance of the effects of Psilocybe mushrooms and their established ritual usages. Among Mexican Indian tribes, the effects of psilocybin have never been causally linked to any type of known mental illness. It is interesting to note that the Indians of Mexico were the only Indians in the Americas who also harvested a large number of mushroom species for food. 

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