The Promise and Demise of LSD Psychotherapy in Norway
Social History of Medicine May 28, 2021 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1093/shm/hkz128
Summary
In Norway during the 1960s, the decline in the use of LSD for psychotherapy can be attributed to two main factors: growing skepticism among healthcare professionals regarding its therapeutic efficacy and a moral panic linked to youth subcultures embracing drugs. This skepticism emerged even before illegal drug use became prominent and intensified with the visibility of these subcultures and changing drug policies.
Study at a glance
| Population | Norwegian healthcare system key figures and societal context in the 1960s |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Skepticism about LSD's therapeutic efficacy grew among Norwegian healthcare professionals, coinciding with increased visibility of youth drug use and shifting drug policies. |
Abstract
Abstract In the early-to-mid 1960s, there was considerable use of LSD in psychotherapy in several countries. However, its use gradually levelled off. Two explanations have been suggested: The first revolves around a ‘moral panic’ in the wake of the introduction of cannabis and LSD by subcultural youth groups. The second focuses on the lack of proof for the therapeutic efficacy of LSD at a time when double-blind designs became the gold standard. Using available sources, we explore the Norwegian case. Both explanations are supported: Even before illegal drug use had taken root in youth subcultures, scepticism was gradually building among key figures in the Norwegian healthcare system due to lack of evidence for therapeutic efficacy. This scepticism only increased when the new youth subcultures became visible in the mid-1960s and when the ‘war on drugs’ transformed the drug policy.