Mushrooms and cocaine and weed, oh my! What’s happening in a brain under the influence, and what causes highs and hallucinations – and the corresponding crashes and withdrawal?

Psychoactive drugs have a history of influencing some of the world’s greatest writers, artists and musicians. Both the high and the art we create from this experience is unique to each person, and can be as much of a hindrance as a help.

It’s delicate terrain for women struggling with their mental health during the trials of new motherhood. In some cases, psychiatrists suggest drug-based intervention is the safest option. 

In the 1970s, political and cultural stigma kneecapped decades of research on the use of psychedelic drugs to treat mental illness. Now scientists are returning for a second look.

In the search for better, faster, stronger drugs, animal venom could be the answer, as toxins are harnessed to create target-specific treatments.