> I would actually strongly urge people who suffer from depression to experiment
Do you say the same about eg cancer?
> (while observing and adjusting diligently)
Depression is an illness that affects a person to observe and adjust.
Do you say the same about eg cancer?
> (while observing and adjusting diligently)
Depression is an illness that affects a person to observe and adjust.
Sure. Parent poster is suggesting people with a potentially fatal illness try experimenting with random hallucinogens.
Doesn't that strike you as irresponsible?
As to specifically experimenting with hallucinogens: there's growing evidence that they can be helpful in treating depression, from anecdotes to studies - most recently, a couple of days ago: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/dec/01/magic-mushro...
Should people be recommended to try these sorts of drugs without proper guidance and likely supervision? Generally I'd say no. But if they can provide people with the help they need, and the legal system doesn't allow for a formal way of using them, I do support people discussing their use, ideally with disclaimers about potential risks and how to use as safely as possible.
Good luck finding an experiment that fits those criteria for cancer, though.
Pulling an all-nighter to see its effects on your depression fits all that. It's low-risk: it doesn't interfere with your doctor's orders and plenty of people have survived all-nighters without ill effects. It's connected to depression in that it affects the brain, which we believe to be connected to depression. And it has measurable effects or lack of effects in that you can take stock of your mood at intervals after doing it.
This is true to some extent. I'd say it depends on the severity of the case. Yes, sometimes you depend on strong guidance from a doctor, because your brain is just completely out of order. But this is never the full and only answer to the source of the problem.
For clarity: I think telling people with depression to experiment with hallucinogens is fucking dangerous.
Also: cost = $30 for 1 dose + testing kit; compare that to the price of months/years of meds (this should be relevant especially for US citizens which do not benefit from a sane/affordable health care system). Not to mention their oftentimes heavy "side" effects which can even become permanent, such as the loss of libido, etc.