Psychedelics in Medicine: The Future of Anxiety Treatment or a Risky Gamble?

For decades, the term psychedelics has been synonymous with counterculture movements, hallucinogenic trips, and a history of legal battles. However, cutting-edge research is now turning these once-controversial substances into potential life-saving treatments. The latest breakthrough comes from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai, where researchers have identified a specific brain mechanism that could revolutionize anxiety treatment without inducing hallucinations.

This study represents India’s first major exploration into the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, offering new hope for millions battling anxiety disorders, PTSD, and treatment-resistant depression. While psychedelic-assisted therapy is gaining traction worldwide, India still lags in regulatory approvals and clinical trials. However, this new research could pave the way for a more targeted and effective approach to mental health treatment.

Modern psychiatry has long relied on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and benzodiazepines to manage anxiety and depression. However, these medications come with several limitations:

Delayed Onset: Traditional antidepressants can take weeks, if not months, to show results, leaving patients vulnerable during this period.

Limited Effectiveness: Studies suggest that nearly 50% of patients do not respond to existing medications, requiring alternative or combination treatments.

Side Effects & Dependence: Many psychiatric drugs cause sedation, addiction, weight gain, or cognitive dulling, leading some patients to discontinue treatment prematurely.

With mental health disorders rising globally, the search for faster, safer, and more effective treatments has never been more urgent. This is where psychedelics are stepping in, not as recreational drugs, but as scientifically-backed tools for healing.

Psychedelic compounds such as LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide), psilocybin (found in magic mushrooms), and mescaline (from cacti) have been used for centuries in traditional healing practices. These substances influence the brain’s serotonin system, altering perception, cognition, and emotional processing.

However, research led by neuroscientist Vidita Vaidya and her team at TIFR takes a more refined approach. Instead of inducing hallucinatory states, their study focuses on isolating specific brain pathways responsible for anxiety reduction.

Using a synthetic psychedelic drug called DOI, researchers discovered that activating the ventral hippocampus, a region linked to emotional processing can significantly reduce anxiety levels. This could redefine psychiatric treatment by offering a non-hallucinogenic, targeted therapy for anxiety disorders.

The study began with laboratory trials on rodents using a behavioural test known as the ‘elevated plus maze’ an established method to assess anxiety levels. The results were remarkable:

Rodents injected with DOI exhibited a significant reduction in anxiety-related behaviours, exploring open spaces that they would normally avoid.

Further brain mapping identified a specific set of neurons, PV-positive neurons in the ventral hippocampus as the key targets for anxiety reduction.

To simplify, think of the brain as a large city and anxiety as a chaotic traffic jam. Earlier, scientists knew that psychedelic drugs helped “clear the roads,” but they didn’t know which part of the city was responsible. This research effectively pinpoints the exact intersection causing the congestion making it possible to target anxiety without disrupting other brain functions.

A major concern with psychedelic therapy has always been its mind-altering effects. While some psychiatric professionals argue that hallucinations contribute to the therapeutic process, others believe that anxiety and depression relief can happen without them.

This study suggests that it may be possible to harness psychedelics benefits without triggering altered states of consciousness. By selectively activating PV-positive neurons, scientists could design next-generation medications that mimic psychedelic effects while eliminating unwanted experiences.

Pharmaceutical companies and research teams worldwide are already working on psychedelic-inspired drugs compounds that act on the same brain receptors but lack the “trip” component. If successful, these drugs could reshape mental healthcare, making psychedelic therapy more accessible and acceptable.

Despite the promising findings, India remains behind in the global psychedelic research race. Countries like Australia, the U.S., and the UK have already begun clinical trials on psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression and PTSD. Meanwhile, India’s regulatory restrictions and historical stigma around psychedelics continue to slow progress.

Dr. Biju Viswanath, a psychiatrist at NIMHANS, acknowledges that existing psychiatric medications take too long to show effects and often fail in nearly half of the patients. Yet, he also highlights the high potential for abuse, making regulators hesitant to approve clinical trials for psychedelic-based therapies in India.

Vidita Vaidya, who will present these findings at the 2025 Gordon Research Conference on Neurobiology of Psychedelics, believes that India must take bold steps in advancing mental health treatments. She warns that playing catch-up while the rest of the world moves ahead could put India at a disadvantage in addressing its growing mental health crisis.

For psychiatrists, psychologists, and neurologists, this study opens up exciting new avenues for anxiety treatment.

More Targeted Treatments: Future medications could focus directly on PV-positive neurons, offering precision therapy with fewer side effects.

Alternative Solutions for Treatment-Resistant Patients: For patients who don’t respond to SSRIs or therapy, psychedelic-inspired drugs might provide a long-awaited breakthrough.

Faster Relief: Instead of waiting weeks for medications to take effect, future therapies might work within hours or days, drastically improving patient outcomes.

Despite the current regulatory hurdles, psychedelic research in India is slowly gaining momentum. With the right push, India could become a leader in developing non-hallucinogenic, highly effective mental health treatments.

For now, the medical community must continue advocating for controlled, ethical, and scientifically rigorous studies. The potential of psychedelics in treating anxiety, PTSD, and depression is too significant to ignore.

The discovery of a specific neuron responsible for reducing anxiety marks a major milestone in psychiatric research. If psychedelic-inspired drugs become widely available, they could revolutionize mental healthcare, providing relief to millions suffering from anxiety disorders worldwide.

As mental health professionals, understanding and keeping up with these advancements is crucial. The future of anxiety treatment may no longer be about suppressing symptoms but about directly reprogramming the brain’s response to stress all thanks to a psychedelic breakthrough from Indian researchers.

Source: ETPharma.com

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