Psychedelic drugs have been "overhyped" as a possible cure for mental illnesses.

Psychedelic drugs are 'overhyped' as a cure for mental illness

Psychedelic drugs are 'overhyped' as a cure for mental illness

Neuropsychologist Andy Mitchell has spent more than 1,000 hours tripping on 17 substances as a part of the research for his new book and has concluded that the drugs should not be seen as a "panacea" for issues ranging from depression to addiction.

Speaking at the Cheltenham Science Festival, Mitchell said: "I think psychedelics have been massively overhyped in terms of their clinical efficiency."

The expert thinks that pharmaceutical companies are now displaying an interest in the substances as miraculous cures that "promise to relieve us all from suffering".

Mitchell explained: "There are moments where life is difficult, and the idea of a panacea is something that's massively marketable.

"And I think that quickly, psychedelics in the last five or six years has started to feel like a kind of Disneyland, whereby we can have all of these different uses that are going to solve the problems of what it is to be alive."