Psychedelic medicines for depression: An interview with Dr. Charles Raison
I speak with Dr. Raison about a popular topic emerging in mental healthcare: the potential utility of psychedelic medicines for the treatment of depression.
Psychedelic medicines have recently garnered a lot of attention from the public and medical community. What does the data show in terms of efficacy for the psychedelic drug psilocybin? Where are we in the FDA approval process? How are such drugs tested in clinical trials? What does the legalization of psilocybin in Oregon mean for the public? This week on the Foodie Pharmacology podcast, I speak with Charles Raison, MD to address these questions and more.
About Dr. Raison
Charles Raison, MD, is the Mary Sue and Mike Shannon Distinguished Chair for Healthy Minds, Children & Families and Professor, School of Human Ecology, and Professor, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Raison also serves as Director of Clinical and Translational Research for Usona Institute, as Director of Research on Spiritual Health for Emory Healthcare and as Visiting Professor in the Center for the Study of Human Health at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.
Dr. Raison’s research focuses on the examination novel mechanisms involved in the development and treatment of major depression and other stress-related emotional and physical conditions, as well as for his work examining the physical and behavioral effects of compassion training. More recently, Dr. Raison has taken a leadership role in the development of psychedelic medicines as potential treatments for major depression.
He was named one of the world’s most influential researchers by Web of Science for the decade of 2010-2019. With Vladimir Maletic he is author of The New Mind-Body Science of Depression published by W.W. Norton in 2017.
Follow his work on Twitter at @DrCharlesRaison
Watch and listen to the interview
The full video version of the interview is on the Teach Ethnobotany YouTube channel. Or, you can listen to the podcast on any of your favorite podcast streaming services. Subscribe to Foodie Pharmacology to access new episodes weekly.
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Yours in health, Dr. Quave
Cassandra L. Quave, Ph.D. is a disabled writer, speaker, podcast host, wife, mother, explorer, ethnobotanist, and professor at Emory University School of Medicine. She teaches college courses and leads a group of research scientists studying medicinal plants to find new life-saving drugs from nature. She hosts the Foodie Pharmacology podcast and writes the Nature’s Pharmacy newsletter to share the science behind natural medicines. To support her effort, consider a paid or founding subscription, with founding members receiving an autographed 1st edition hardcover copy of her book, The Plant Hunter.