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Comment by joshontheweb | Hacker News Reader

This probably won't be popular here but I have suffered from depression since I can remember and the best remedy I have found so far is psychedelics. Not too often but in higher doses as Terence Mckenna recommends. Psilosybe Mushrooms in particular are good at helping me to shed my fears, love life, and create out of passion. Mileage may vary but I thought I'd put that out there. Any others who have similar experience?

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Just a safety warning for some readers: if you have a past history of delusional thinking, other types of psychosis, or a family history of either, this is not good advice. Psychedelics, especially at higher doses, can trigger harmful psychotic episodes quite easily in susceptible people, which is bad for personal safety and mental health, and can cause lasting damage to relationships with friends and loved ones, as well as potentially wreck a career.

I'll chime in here that I witnessed a long time friend who has a family with a history of mental illness go down this road. For him all it took was one LSD trip. My personal position is that psychedelics are the "going nuclear" of the substance space. They are not toys and hold the power to create and to create awe inducing destruction.

What other things have you tried? Did you try them rigorously (over a long period of time, comparing results with time periods where they weren't in use?) Did you try those things with the assistance or guidance of a professional?

Lifestyle changes, self-care techniques, antidepressants, dietary supplements, etc. are all things a medical professional will recommend to you - and the antidepressants are often the last thing they'll suggest. Did you try all of those, find them unhelpful, and resort to psychedelics?

I think this is very individual. Glad it worked out for you, but experimenting with self-medication with untested drugs could go both ways. A Google Scholar search for "psychedelic drug psychosis" makes clear that there is nowhere near consensus on whether this is an advisable option.

Definitely! Like alcoholism, there is a risk factor in the use of psychedelics for some people, with a strong genetic component. It's important to take your own mental health history, as well as family history into account when experimenting. Especially before taking any high doses of anything, experiment just with lower doses first, with relatively sober, experienced friends present should anything go wrong.

If you have a personal or family history of psychotic episodes though, including delusional thinking, be extremely cautious, and either only take lower doses or abstain entirely for your own safety and well-being.

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