Close X
Sunday, March 2, 2025
ADVT 
Interesting

New Evidence That Certain Drugs May Help Reduce Domestic Violence

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 26 Apr, 2016 11:27 AM
    Researchers have found more evidence that psychedelic drugs, whose primary action is to alter the thought processes of the brain, may help curb domestic violence committed by men with substance abuse problems.
     
    While research on the benefits of psychedelic drugs took place in the 1950 to the 1970s, primarily to treat mental illness, it was stopped due to the reclassification of the drugs to a controlled substance in the mid-1970s. Recent years have seen a resurgence of interest in psychedelic medicine.
     
    "While not a clinical trial, this study, in stark contrast to prevailing attitudes that views these drugs as harmful, speaks to the public health potential of psychedelic medicine," said one of the researchers Zach Walsh, associate professor at University of British Columbia in Canada.
     
    "As existing treatments for intimate partner violence are insufficient, we need to take new perspectives such as this seriously," Walsh noted.
     
    The researchers found that 42 per cent of US adult male inmates who did not take psychedelic drugs were arrested within six years for domestic battery after their release, compared to a rate of 27 per cent for those who had taken drugs such as LSD, psilocybin (commonly known as magic mushrooms) and MDMA (ecstasy).
     
     
    The observational study followed 302 inmates for an average of six years after they were released. All those observed had histories of substance use disorders.
     
    "Intimate partner violence is a major public health problem and existing treatments to reduce reoffending are insufficient," Walsh said. 
     
    "With proper dosage, set, and setting we might see even more profound effects. This definitely warrants further research," he noted.
     
    The findings appeared in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.
     
    Earlier, Peter Hendricks from the University of Alabama, had said: "Although we're attempting to better understand how or why these substances may be beneficial, one explanation is that they can transform people's lives by providing profoundly meaningful spiritual experiences that highlight what matters most."
     
    "The experiences of unity, positivity, and transcendence that characterise the psychedelic experience may be particularly beneficial to groups that are frequently marginalised and isolated, such as the incarcerated men who participated in this study," Walsh said.

    MORE Interesting ARTICLES

    Bogus emails lure people into sharing personal information

    Bogus emails lure people into sharing personal information
    More internet users are being lured into revealing personal information as they log into bogus emails, says a new study....

    Bogus emails lure people into sharing personal information

    Ancient DNA reveals Europeans had sex with Neanderthals

    Ancient DNA reveals Europeans had sex with Neanderthals
     According to a study, there is a surprising genetic unity between the earliest known Europeans and contemporary Europeans....

    Ancient DNA reveals Europeans had sex with Neanderthals

    How to invest for public good and returns

    How to invest for public good and returns
    A leading US think tank has launched a new report to encourage impact investing or enabling private investment for public good and financial returns with...

    How to invest for public good and returns

    Long-lost secrets of extinct Dodo revealed

    Long-lost secrets of extinct Dodo revealed
    A new laser 3D scan of the extinct flightless bird dodo has exposed portions of its anatomy previously unknown to science, revealing secrets about....

    Long-lost secrets of extinct Dodo revealed

    Observation: Key To Learning Dance Better

    Observation: Key To Learning Dance Better
    The best way to master dancing is to imbibe the art of observing the sequences demonstrated by the instructor and not merely listening to spoken...

    Observation: Key To Learning Dance Better

    First selfie dates back 175 years!

    First selfie dates back 175 years!
    In 1839, 30-year-old Robert Cornelius took the world's first self-portrait or selfie at the back of his father's shop in Philadelphia, Mashable reported.....

    First selfie dates back 175 years!