Primum Non Nocere: The Onus to Characterize the Potential Harms of Psychedelic Treatment.
The American journal of psychiatry January 1, 2025 Sharmin Ghaznavi, Jeremy N Ruskin, Stephen J Haggerty et al.
As psychedelics gain popularity as potential therapeutics, understanding their risks becomes as important as studying their benefits. This review examines known and potential harms, including enduring perceptual disturbances, triggering or worsening mania or psychosis, overuse and dependence, challenging experiences ("bad trips"), risks from increased neuroplasticity, and acute and cumulative cardiovascular effects. The authors call for continued research and monitoring, especially as these substances move into broader, less controlled use.