Speaker Bio
They say the national mushroom of Scotland is the Liberty Cap: I haven’t found any sources for this but it might explain why our national animal is the Unicorn! I’m very proud of being Scottish and it pains me greatly, both in my personal life and my work with substance users via community pharmacy, to see so many of its people struggle with mental and social health problems. After participating in the Compass Pathways phase 2b trial for TRD, not only did it open me to the complexities and challenges of my own psyche, but also highlighted for me the importance of real healing, for individuals and communities, and the potential of psychedelics to do just that.
ICPR 2024 Abstract
Participant and Clinician Reflections on a Challenging Experience in a Clinical Trial
In July 2021 Maryam Jabir received a 25mg dose of psilocybin as part of a phase IIb trial for treatment-resistant depression. On dosing day, she had a difficult experience, followed by a worsening of mood, suicidal ideas, and struggles with eating that persisted for months. Despite this deterioration and her characterisation as a non-responder by the quantitative measures used in the study, Maryam experienced clear functional improvement, making several positive changes to her life including starting a new job and looking after her health. In this talk, Maryam will reflect on her experience of being a trial participant and how her psilocybin experience affected her life. She will be joined by Dr Mourad Wahba and Dr Caroline Hayes who provide a clinician’s perspective. They will share their own reflections on the process and wider issues within psychedelic research that were highlighted through this experience, with some suggestions moving forwards.