For people with cancer, the diagnosis often is just the beginning. The side effects from a variety of treatments, the anxiety that comes along with a life-threatening illness, having to navigate the regular stresses of daily life — it can be a lot to handle. In fact, it’s estimated that more than 30 percent of cancer patients meet the criteria for mood disorders.

The threat isn’t over after eliminating the disease, either. Suicide rates among cancer survivors is nearly double that of the general population. Could magic mushrooms change that?

Two studies published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology found that psilocybin reduces anxiety and depression among cancer patients and survivors in just one session. These one-off experiences also had lasting effects.

Just this single dose of psilocybin, which lasts between four to six hours, decreased anxiety and depression in most participants and occurred right in that session, as opposed to antidepressants and therapy, which can take weeks or months to work. Participants found themselves with an increased quality of life, life meaning and optimism.

The results were long-lasting, too. Six months after the last treatment, 80 percent of the group continued showing clinically significant decreases in depressed mood and anxiety. Eighty-three percent said there was an increase in their well-being, and 67 percent rated the experience as one of the top five meaningful experiences in their lives. magic mushrooms for sale Jefferson County Washington