Changing attitudes to psychedelic drug assisted therapy: The induction of empathy to enhance community support for innovative interventions in mental health
Journal of Psychedelic Studies August 18, 2022 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1556/2054.2022.00203 via OpenAlex
Summary
Psychoactive drugs can improve psychotherapy for mental illness, but stigma surrounding these drugs and mental illness creates resistance in the community. An experiment showed that participants expressed more empathy for a PTSD patient compared to a Parkinson's patient, especially when empathy was induced. While participants felt PTSD patients were more responsible for their condition, they were also more willing to help them. These findings suggest that fostering empathy could help increase acceptance of enhanced therapy practices.
Study at a glance
| Design | experiment |
|---|---|
| Population | participants responding to scenarios about PTSD and Parkinson's disease patients |
| Key finding | Participants showed higher empathy for a PTSD patient than for a Parkinson's patient, with increased willingness to help influenced by induced empathy. |
Abstract
Abstract Empirical research supports the use of psychoactive drugs to augment psychotherapy for the treatment of mental illness. The use of such drugs, however, is still resisted by many in the medical community and this transfers to resistance in the wider community. The stigma of controversy surrounding the drugs, further enhanced by the stigma of mental illness, hinders community acceptance. We report an experiment to change community attitudes to endorse the benefits of such practice. Participants were given information about a client with post-traumatic stress disorder, with accompanying stigma of mental illness, or a physical condition (Parkinson's disease) with comorbid psychological symptoms, but without stigma. They received information about the diagnosis and the value of psychoactive drugs in the enhancement of therapy or this information with a manipulation to induce empathy. Analysis revealed higher empathy for the PTSD than for the Parkinson's patient. The elevation of empathy was further enhanced by the empathy manipulation. While there was higher agreement that PTSD clients were responsible for their own condition, there was a greater willingness to help, and this was further increased by empathy. Such conditions should be considered to encourage the general community to accept enhanced therapy for patients that can enhance endorsement by medical practitioners.