We’ve long been trying to find a cure for depression. From the ancient Greeks to Freud, and from therapy rooms to the Prozac revolution, how far have we come? Join Alex as he takes us on a compelling journey through the new frontiers of psychedelic treatments. Watch the Q&A here: https://youtu.be/z0-X99Q_CZ4
Buy Alex's book 'A Cure for Darkness' here: https://geni.us/60qBU
Subscribe for regular science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe
Psychedelic drugs like psilocybin and ayahuasca have been used across the world for thousands of years. But what role does the placebo effect play in their usage? And what scientific evidence is there for and against their efficiency against depression?
Alex Riley is an award-winning science writer and scientist based in Bristol. He received a best feature award at the 2019 Association of British Science Writers Awards for his reporting on The Friendship Bench, a project that began in Zimbabwe in 2006 and has since provided mental health care to thousands of people in New York.
Since leaving academia in 2015, Alex began writing popular science articles for magazines such as New Scientist, PBS's NOVA Next, BBC Future, Mosaic Science, Aeon, and Nautilus Magazine.
This talk was recorded at the Royal Institution on 12 April 2022.
0:30 Introducing alpha waves
2:21 Treating depression with the psychedelic Ayahuasca
9:38 Ayahuasca or placebo?
12:34 Are magic mushrooms more effective than existing antidepressants?
16:05 How hype can be harmful
21:45 How do psychedelics work?
26:56 The positives of the placebo effect
32:45 History of biological psychiatry
38:30 History of psychotherapy
47:20 Preventing abuse of power in psychotherapy
50:49 Stopping the psychedelic experience with a single receptor
54:48 Would psychedelic therapies be accessible to all?
----
A very special thank you to our Patreon supporters who help make these videos happen, especially:
Andy Carpenter, William Hudson, Richard Hawkins, Thomas Gønge, Don McLaughlin, Jonathan Sturm, Microslav Jarábek, Michael Rops, Supalak Foong, efkinel lo, Martin Paull, Ben Wynne-Simmons, Ivo Danihelka, Paulina Barren, Kevin Winoto, Jonathan Killin, Taylor Hornby, Rasiel Suarez, Stephan Giersche, William Billy Robillard, Scott Edwardsen, Jeffrey Schweitzer, Frances Dunne, jonas.app, Tim Karr, Adam Leos, Alan Latteri, Matt Townsend, John C. Vesey, Andrew McGhee, Robert Reinecke, Paul Brown, Lasse T Stendan, David Schick, Joe Godenzi, Dave Ostler, Osian Gwyn Williams, David Lindo, Roger Baker, Greg Nagel, Rebecca Pan.
---
The Ri is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheRoyalInstitution
and Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science
and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution
and TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ri_science
Listen to the Ri podcast: https://anchor.fm/ri-science-podcast
Our editorial policy: https://www.rigb.org/editing-ri-talks-and-moderating-comments
Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter
Product links on this page may be affiliate links which means it won't cost you any extra but we may earn a small commission if you decide to purchase through the link.
