Addressing the trauma of cancer with psychedelics

+ an expiration date for Earth? US Edition - Today's top story: Psychedelics may better treat depression and anxiety symptoms than prescription antidepressants for patients with advanced cancer [View in browser]( US Edition | 17 April 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Resistance, global indifference to Myanmar’s violence]( - [Why Black gamers are flocking to Hogwarts Legacy]( - [Exploring the battle over faith-based charter schools]( Lead story Cancer is often a traumatic experience. There’s the shock of diagnosis, the waiting over test results and the toll of taxing treatments. Even when the disease goes into remission, there’s the fear of recurrence weeks or years after the ordeal was thought to be over. Some patients develop anxiety and depression that available prescription antidepressants don’t effectively treat. But researchers are looking into another option that has shown promise for people with post-traumatic stress disorder: psychedelics. C. Michael White, a professor of pharmacy practice of the University of Connecticut, believes psychedelics like psilocybin, MDMA and LSD may be better able to [reduce anxiety and depression symptoms]( in advanced cancer patients by helping them process their underlying trauma. “Exploring psychedelic treatments for patients with other life-threatening diseases that cause trauma, anxiety or depression could clarify their potential therapeutic benefits,” White writes. [[Sign up here to our topic-specific weekly emails.](] Vivian Lam Associate Health and Biomedicine Editor Psilocybin and other psychedelics could help patients process the challenges of a cancer diagnosis. Kateryna Kon/Science Photo Library via Getty Images [Psychedelics may better treat depression and anxiety symptoms than prescription antidepressants for patients with advanced cancer]( C. Michael White, University of Connecticut Receiving a cancer diagnosis and undergoing cancer treatment can be a traumatizing experience. Psychedelics like LSD, psilocybin and MDMA could help alleviate symptoms from cancer-related PTSD. Politics + Society - [Military violence in Myanmar is worsening amid fierce resistance and international ambivalence]( Tharaphi Than, Northern Illinois University Since seizing power in a 2021 coup, Myanmar’s military has killed more than 3,000 civilians and pro-democracy activists. But the army has struggled to contain an armed resistance movement. - [Yet another case of mishandling classified documents and alleged violations of the Espionage Act: 3 essential reads]( Howard Manly, The Conversation The handling of US classified information received another stain as a 21-year-old Air National Guardsman stands accused of mishandling secret documents on US allies and the war in Ukraine. - [Defamation is at the heart of Dominion’s lawsuit against Fox News – but proving it is no small feat]( Nicole Kraft, The Ohio State University It’s far easier to throw around accusations of damage to one’s reputation than it is to actually prove it in court. A journalism scholar explains the criteria that must be met. 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Education - [As Second Chance Pell Grant program grows, more incarcerated people can get degrees – but there’s a difference between prison-run and college-run education behind bars]( Mneesha Gellman, Emerson College With the expansion of Second Chance Pell grants, more colleges and universities will soon offer degree programs to students in prison. - [What is Discord? An internet researcher explains the social media platform at the center of Pentagon leak of top-secret intelligence]( Brianna Dym, University of Maine Discord was initially a service to let gamers voice and text chat while playing. Most of its current users build and maintain online communities, though not always very big ones. Arts + Culture - [The complex relationship between Black gamers and Hogwarts Legacy]( Steven Dashiell, American University Despite calls to boycott the game by trans activists, the game has proved wildly popular – particularly among Black gamers. 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