Psilocybin & Bipolar Disorder: Risks, Therapy & Microdosing | Dr. David Gard | #talkBD EP 28 🍄

Psychologist Dr. David Gard speaks on the use of psilocybin and magic mushrooms to treat bipolar disorder/depression, the potential benefits and risks, and breaks down the latest research on the role of psychedelics and psilocybin in supporting mental health. Hosted by Dr. Emma Morton.

00:00 Introduction
00:29 About Dr. Gard
01:29 History of Psilocybin Use for Mental Health
02:55 How Psilocybin Changes Your Brain
04:55 Why Researchers Have Avoided Studying Psilocybin
06:22 What Studies Have Found
10:37 The Optimal Dose for Psilocybin
12:04 Top 3 Risks of Psilocybin for Bipolar Disorder
14:21 Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy
19:06 Microdosing Psychedelics
21:20 The Future of Psychedelics in Mental Health Treatment

Dr. David Gard is a Professor of Psychology, Director of the Motivation and Emotion Research Lab, and the Coordinator of the Clinical Psychology Master’s Program at San Francisco State University. He received his Master’s degree in clinical psychology from San Francisco State University in 1996 and his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of California at Berkeley in 2005. He has been lecturing at San Francisco State University since 1997 and was hired full-time as an assistant professor at SFSU in the fall of 2005. His research interests are broadly in the area of emotion and motivation dysfunction in various mental health disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression. He also researches novel treatments in severe mental illness.

#talkBD Bipolar Disorder Podcast
talkBD gathers researchers, people with lived experience, healthcare providers, and top bipolar disorder experts from around the world to discuss and answer the most important questions about living with bipolar disorder. All episodes are available on all podcast platforms:

[JoeMushrumski]

I have a Bipolar 2 diagnosis and Psilocybin makes me...me. It takes away the depression, anxiety and intrusive thoughts.
Motivation goes up, mindfulness and kindness goes up. Self-awareness is enhanced.
Psilocybin has also pulled me out of a suicidal pit of darkness. No session has cause hypomania. DMT has the same effects on me as Psilocybin. LSD doesn not. LSD = Technical. Psilocybin = Emotions, DMT = hypersonic head blast

With Bipolar; do not do Psilocybin often. Do it once and then wait a month or two before doing it again.

[jj-nhlz]

Greatly appreciate this interview and the opportunity to learn more about potentially effective treatments for BP2. It would be very helpful to have an update on progress on this study

[SidharthaMalone]

She forgot to wear her startrek pin badge

[andrewmarias]

Psilocybin, LSD, shrooms and ketamine are absolutely life changing substances that have so much potential to help people with mental health issues.

[swankmank]

it's important to address that lithium and hallucinogens can have some serious interactions, and that in from hallucinogens triggering manic episodes the person will believe their depression has gone away

[enseglare]

I work with a somatic (physical/emotional/trauma release) integration approach and we have had 100% success rate in clients suffering from normal depression tendencies. The clients have to be "clean" to start the perocess. I have a client with Bipolar 1 that wants to get Psilocybin treatment. I am very reluctant to do so while the person is on medication which she has been for over 20 years to regulate hyper manic bouts. How is this study conducted? Are the subjects off medications before they start treatment? Any clarity on subject would be very helpful.

[ndpndntvar]

In my experience the high and mania I felt from my psychotic break was the exact same feeling I have whenever I am taking shrooms. The "oneness" you feel on shrooms is the exact same as it was when I was psychotic. Everything feels different and heightened.

[lilyjane]

My country doesn't to consider them as a form of treatment (France) 😔

[taliakelly]

With the sleep disruption, what if i did it early in the morning?

[yamilethgiraldo]

Hello, I have severe anxiety, I take loraezapam, and when I take 0.1 gr of microdose of psilocybin I feel anxious and cold, nervous, how can I move forward, should I stop taking psychiatric medications? someone told me that micro do not work for bipolar?
How can I leave the pills for anxiety if the fungus that generates anxiety?

[mattjanachek]

I like the outfit looks like you're on a Star Trek away team :D

[twantoinou]

Hi ! Thanks to all CREST crew member for doing that !

I'm a French bipolar and don't understand English language very well, but i have a question !

One of my best friends take mushroom, he has no psychiatric issues and say to me, it was a very good experience for him.
I see few of your video and with my friend's experience, I want to take mushroom. My question is about take mushroom with my medication.

I have a neuroleptic treatment and don't want to stop it, so If I take psilocybin mushroom with my treatment, will there still be effects, and / or a trip ??

Thanks in advance for the answer, and for people who going to take time to read my commentary and why not help me with this question !

By the way, it's very cool to have people engaged to find alternative treatment for psychiatric disorder ! Thank you again

[remingtonfrog]

Hi My niece is 18, she’s a pretty girl smart and struggling, recently diagnosed bi-polar. Her Mom told me she’s on seriqul (sorry for spelling) . Do you think this video is for older folks ? Or … Thank you .

[BigIndianBindi-jycz]

psiocybin did nothing for me except give me the old school windows screen saver spiral patterns when i shut my eyes. that's all. it did nothing for me emotionally. it did not help my depression. it did not alter my personality.

[박하와이]

I'm Korean. My ability to listen to English conversations is not excellent. So if I can see this conversation as text, I think I can understand it through Google Translate. Can this conversation be provided via text?

[camileytv]

Did anyone got any better with microdosing?