Psychedelic drugs for psychiatric disorders.
Sabrina Correa Da Costa, Tyler Oesterle, Teresa A Rummans, Elliot Richelson, Mark Gold
Journal of the neurological sciences September 15, 2022 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2022.120332 via PubMed
Summary
Psychedelics like psilocybin, MDMA, and LSD show potential for treating psychiatric disorders, offering rapid and sustained benefits compared to traditional medications. Despite promising early findings, the evidence is not yet strong enough to recommend routine use due to unclear long-term safety and efficacy. Ongoing clinical trials aim to clarify these issues. The interest in psychedelics has resurged after a period of dormancy since their criminalization in the 1970s.
Study at a glance
| Population | psychiatric disorder patients |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Psychedelics have demonstrated rapid and sustained clinical benefits for various psychiatric disorders, but current evidence does not support their extensive routine use. |
Abstract
Existing pharmacological treatments for psychiatric disorders have demonstrated limited efficacy, delayed onset of action, and significant burden of side effects. Recent findings from human studies with psychedelics have shown promise, demonstrating rapid and sustained clinical benefits of these compounds for a variety of psychiatric disorders. Classical psychedelics have a rich history and some of these compounds have been used in shamanic and spiritual ceremonies for millennia. The psychoactive effects of these drugs, particularly on human consciousness, have generated great scientific curiosity, and early research on psychedelics suggested their clinical benefits for psychiatric conditions, including alcohol use disorders and anxiety and depressive symptoms in terminal illness and life-threatening conditions. Since the 1990s, after a period of dormancy that followed the criminalization of psychedelic drugs since the Controlled Substance Act of 1970, the continued interest in their unique psychoactive effects along with the pursuit for novel and more effective treatments in psychiatry have led to a renewed interest in research on these compounds. While preliminary findings on psychedelics are encouraging, current evidence is still insufficient to support extensive use of these drugs routinely. Long-term safety and efficacy of these compounds remain unclear, and several clinical trials are underway and may add clarity to these questions. Therefore, this article intends to provide an overview of the evidence to date on psychedelic drugs - particularly psilocybin, MDMA, and LSD - for the treatment of psychiatric disorders.