Cameron Lacey: psychiatrist on getting approval to prescribe 'magic mushroom' treatment

One single psychiatrist has been approved to prescribe psilocybin or 'magic mushrooms' for treatment-resistant depression.

That psychiatrist is Professor Cameron Lacey, who welcomed the approval as an opportunity to provide treatment that can change people’s lives.

Lacey says there's been a great deal of interest since he got permission to prescribe psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression.

"I think it speaks to the demand and eagerness of which people have been following this field."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now as we know, this is what mentioned yesterday. There
is only one doctor in the country who will have
the permission to prescribe those magic mushrooms. David Seymour yesterday
didn't want to tell us who it was. But the
guy is out at himself. He is Professor Cameron Lacey
at Olimbia's Health in christ So let's have a chat.
Dam high, Cameron cured Heather, why do you out yourself?

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Well, it's been a long time coming, a lot of
work and very little for people who have been following
this film to work out thought twice.

Speaker 1 (00:33):
David Seymore was reluctant to name you yesterday because he
thought you were going to get swamped by calls. Have
you been.

Speaker 2 (00:40):
Yes. It's frcazing to see the response and deal of interest.
I think it speaks to to the demand and eagerness
with which people have been following this field for some time.

Speaker 1 (00:53):
Cameron, I saw quite an astounding number today. It was
about it suggested that thirty to forty percent of people
who suffer from DEPRESSI normal. If we consider you know,
like normal, normal help would not assist them and so
they would need to look to something like this in
the number is something like two hundred and eighty three
thousand people. Is that about right?

Speaker 2 (01:13):
Yeah, there is an enormous number of people who have
from insuring residual symptoms and sometimes severed depression for many years,
who have helped or minimally helped or have to endure
long terms of DART effects with standard treatments.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
Okay, And so if they were to go through the
magic mushroom treatment, would it necessarily help them?

Speaker 2 (01:36):
Well? Overseas research suggests that about two thirds of people
will have a significant response or improvement with a psarocyber
assisted psychotherapy. So that's a substantial improvement in the likelihood
of recovery. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
And is it for as a lifelong cure or is
it for a couple of years?

Speaker 2 (01:58):
We only have recent to about two years follow up,
but it looks like for those that do have a
good response that tend to remain well.

Speaker 1 (02:08):
And Cameron, it sounds like it's quite an involved thing,
Like you don't just get some magic mushroom pills to
take home.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
Do you. No. This is a resource intensive treatment that
requires a course psychotherapy combined with a dosing session which
is eight hours duration. Supported by myself and Professor Marie Crow.
So it is a resource intensive exercise.

Speaker 1 (02:36):
Do you basically put people through a full trip?

Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yeah, it's a very significant experience. People describe the experience
of psilocybin as one of the most significant events in
their lives, and they can have very significant spiritual and
emotional experiences and insights about themselves, connectiveness to the world

(03:02):
and others during that time.

Speaker 1 (03:04):
Cameron, how does it work?

Speaker 2 (03:05):
Do it?

Speaker 1 (03:06):
Why does it change things for people when normal treatment doesn't.

Speaker 2 (03:11):
So, there's a number of theories about how it works,
both from the recept level through to default mode networks
and the brain to psychological theories which I tend to
favor because they're easier to understand. And that is that
the insights that people have during the experience can change

(03:35):
the perception of themselves, the connectionsness to others, and then
through the psychotherapy following that, you are then able to
leverage those insights gained and creating meaningful change.

Speaker 1 (03:50):
Fascinating stuff, Hey, Cameron, thanks so much, appreciate it. Professor
Cameron Lacey, who's the psychiatrist who prescribes the magic mushrooms.

Speaker 2 (03:57):
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