Psilocybin Trial Diary - Day one: Assessment

I arrive in White City and arrive about 10 minutes late for my 1pm appointment at the Imperial College clinical research centre (or the Imperial Centre for Translational and Experimental Medicine to give it its full name). There I meet psychiatrist Mark Bolstridge and am led to what looks like a hospital ward.

We chat for a while and then move on to another room for a blood test, blood pressure measurement and urine test, taken by the nurse. I’m also weighed and have my height measured. I sit on the bed in the room with my shoes off, with my novelty socks on full display (today it’s Chief Wiggum from the Simpsons). No matter.

Later, I meet neuroscientist/psychologist Robin Carhart-Harris, who is managing the study (Professor David Nutt is in overall control). He asks me more questions, and asks me to fill in some questionnaires (I also filled in around 10 questionnaires over the weekend at home) and to take some tests. This includes a morphing face test where a neutral face morphs into an angry, happy, fearful, shocked or sad face, or remains neutral. It’s way too quick for me at times but I do my best.

Mark also runs a coordination test. Mark says, “Touch your nose then my finger.” Simple instructions that I misunderstand and end up sitting there repeatedly jabbing my finger on his finger until Mark steers me back to my nose! We then chat for a while and I talk through my background, my childhood, key issues that I have and my most recent depressed phase.

I’m writing this on August 13th so details are sketchy and I’m not 100% sure if I met the other psychiatrist, James Rucker, at this stage or the next one – I’ve been through a lot since the initial assessment! Anyway, I receive confirmation the day after from Mark that I have met the criteria to take part in the study.