Could the medicalization of psychedelics lead to the next generation of antidepressants?
The biochemist March 28, 2024 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1042/bio_2023_164 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
Psychedelic drugs like LSD have been used by humans since prehistoric times, often in religious rituals, but were outlawed globally in 1971 due to safety concerns. This limited scientific research for decades. Recently, evidence suggests psychedelics may help treat certain treatment-resistant depressive states, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), prompting more clinical trials aimed at gaining regulatory approval for medical use.
Study at a glance
| Design | review |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Psychedelics may be effective against certain treatment-resistant depressive states like PTSD, leading to increased clinical research for regulatory approval. |
Abstract
A major part of the counterculture that emerged in western societies in the 1960s centred around the use of mind-altering psychedelic drugs such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Humans had, however, been consuming hallucinogenic substances since prehistoric times and often incorporated them into their religious rituals. Concerns over the effects of potent psychedelics like LSD led to them being outlawed in many jurisdictions around the world via the UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances in 1971. During the intervening decades, the scientific investigation of psychedelics and their potential for legitimate therapeutic use has consequently been limited. In recent years, hints that psychedelics may be effective against certain treatment-resistant depressive states like post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD) have led to more concerted efforts to obtain reliable clinical data that could convince drug regulators to approve them as legitimate medical treatments.