Every year an estimated four million Australians experience mental ill health and almost half of all Australians will be affected at some point in their lives.
Not all patients achieve good results from standard treatments, and few new medications have become available in recent years.
Under the Government’s $15 million Innovative Therapies for Mental Illness Grant will support Australian-led research into the safety and efficacy of drugs, including those traditionally seen as illicit or recreational drugs, compared to standard therapies.
This includes funding research into how drugs such as psilocybin, MDMA, DMT and cannabidiol could be used medicinally.
The Government says the trials could provide breakthrough treatments for people suffering from persistent mental illnesses such as major depression with alcohol use, anorexia nervosa, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety disorders.
The largest grant, more than $3.8 million, will go to a University of Melbourne trial of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for treatment-resistant social anxiety in young adults with autism spectrum disorder.
Social anxiety is common in young adults with a diagnosis of autism, but current treatments are often ineffective.
Other trials will look for any upsides in using: psilocybin for anorexia nervosa, depression and alcohol use; MDMA for alcoholism and post-traumatic stress disorder; CBD for anxiety disorders in youth; and DMT for major depression and alcohol use.
All the trials will be subject to regulatory approvals, including additional approvals from the host states and territories.
So, while it’s not time to go wild just yet, Federal Health and Aged Care Minister Greg Hunt says we should have an open mind.
“It is vital that we continue to support the search for new and better treatments for mental illness,” Mr Hunt says. “This funding will boost local research into potentially life-saving therapies.”
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