Recent developments involving psychedelics
World drug report – July 20, 2023
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
A significant shift occurred in **mental health** **medicine**: early **psychology** and **psychiatry** explored **hallucinogen** **psilocybin** for conditions like substance use. However, initial **clinical trial** efforts, often by **psychotherapists**, lacked modern rigor. By **1971**, international controls on **psychedelics** emerged. Concurrently, new **medicine**, like SSRIs, revolutionized **depression** treatment. These advancements, demonstrating **neurotransmitter receptor influence on behavior**, offered proven efficacy for complex **mental health** disorders, shifting **clinical psychology** away from early **drug studies** involving **alkaloids**.
Abstract
The therapeutic use of psychedelic substances such as LSD and psilocybin has been researched by psychologists and psychiatrists for a range of psychiatric disorders, including substance use disorders. Most of the early research around the therapeutic use of psychedelics was based on case studies or clinical trials that did not meet the contemporary standards of randomized clinical trials, e.g. with adequate controls or follow-up of the study participants. With the signing of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances in 1971, most of the known psychedelic substances at the time came under international control. However, around the same time, newer medications for the treatment of depression, PTSD and other mental health disorders appeared on the market. The main group of those medications was known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which had proven efficacy and safety in the treatment of complex mental health disorders.