Are psychedelics the next breakthrough for mental health treatment?
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The global conversation around mental health treatment and psychedelic therapy just took a dramatic turn.
Over the weekend, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing US regulators to fast-track research and potential approval of psychedelic drugs like psilocybin, MDMA and ibogaine, a move many experts say could reshape the future of mental health treatment worldwide.
But in South Africa it is still an no-go illegal zone for mental health treatment. This is despite ketamine, another party drug but not a psychedelic, being legal and used in mental health treatment in certain medical places with success.
Psychedelics gain traction as potential game-changers in mental health treatment.
Image: Katie Rainbow/Pexels
The order instructs the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to accelerate reviews and approvals and allocates $50 million in federal funding to support research and accessibility.
Mental disorders like depression, anxiety, PTSD, schizophrenia and dementia put a huge strain on both the healthcare system and society.
More than 350 million people live with depression and 374 million people suffer from anxiety disorders globally.
For decades, psychedelic drugs were locked behind strict regulations, labelled as dangerous and lacking medical value.
Today, they’re re-emerging not as party drugs but as potential therapeutic tools for depression, PTSD, anxiety and trauma.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, at least 21 million American adults experience major depressive episodes each year. Millions more live with anxiety disorders.
The executive order frames psychedelics as part of a broader strategy to address mental health and suicide rates, particularly among military veterans.
The Department of Veterans Affairs is already involved in multiple clinical trials testing psychedelic therapies for post-traumatic stress disorder.
For many mental health advocates, this isn’t fringe science anymore. It’s emerging medicine.
At their core, psychedelics are substances that alter perception, mood and cognition.
In controlled medical settings, they’re being studied for their ability to help patients process trauma, shift thought patterns and reframe emotional pain.
Dr Melané van Zyl of the South African Society of Psychiatrists says: "While clinical trials show promise, we have to be extremely careful. Without strict medical supervision, these substances can be incredibly dangerous. We aren't just talking about 'bad trips' or anxiety, we are talking about serious physical risks like fatal heart rhythm changes, tremors and respiratory failure."
She warns that the excitement over psychedelics must be balanced with medical reality.
She notes that for high-risk groups, including pregnant women, those with a history of psychosis, or people with heart conditions, the results could be devastating.
"If these aren't regulated and dosed correctly, patients risk everything from emotional instability and suicidal thoughts to sudden cardiac arrest," Van Zyl explains.
Psilocybin: The “magic mushroom” therapy
Psilocybin has become one of the most widely researched psychedelic treatments in modern psychiatry.
It is being studied for:
Previous interviews conducted by "Independent Media Lifestyle" with the South African Society of Psychiatrists highlighted cautious optimism.
Psychiatrist Dr Melané van Zyl noted that while early findings are promising, psilocybin therapy should only occur in controlled, medically supervised settings.
Countries like Canada, Switzerland and New Zealand already allow limited therapeutic use, but only after traditional treatments fail.
The risk: Hallucinations, anxiety spikes and unpredictable psychological reactions, especially outside clinical supervision.
MDMA: Trauma therapy with mixed results
MDMA, often associated with party culture, has been studied for trauma therapy, particularly PTSD.
Researchers found that MDMA may help patients feel emotionally safe enough to revisit traumatic memories during psychotherapy.
However, in 2024, the US Food and Drug Administration rejected approval for MDMA-based PTSD treatment due to concerns about data reliability and safety risks.
The risk: Addiction potential, increased heart rate, dehydration and emotional instability.
Ibogaine: The controversial addiction treatment
Ibogaine comes from the West African iboga plant and has been studied for its potential to treat opioid addiction and PTSD.
Veterans and trauma survivors have championed it as transformative, but scientists remain cautious.
The benefit: Some patients report dramatic reductions in withdrawal symptoms and trauma responses.
The risk: Heart complications and fatal reactions have been documented when used improperly.
Mental health conversations increasingly centre on women juggling careers, caregiving, trauma recovery and emotional labour in silence.
Globally, women are more likely to experience depression and anxiety, yet often delay seeking help due to stigma or lack of resources.
This policy shift, while happening in the US, has ripple effects worldwide. Countries often follow US regulatory frameworks when considering new treatments.
That means the future of mental health therapy could shift dramatically within the next decade.
While this executive order signals momentum, experts remain careful.
Many psychedelic substances are still classified as high-risk drugs, historically labelled as having “not currently accepted medical use and high potential for abuse".
Reclassification doesn’t mean approval overnight. It means research is accelerating fast and that speed carries both hope and risk.
The language around psychedelics today feels almost like travel, people describe "journeys", "breakthroughs" and “inner landscapes", but unlike travel, this terrain is unpredictable.
Some patients find healing, others find distress.
That’s why clinicians insist on one key rule: psychedelics are not DIY wellness tools. They belong in controlled medical environments, not casual experimentation.