The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry
October 1, 2024
Alistair Carroll, Adam Bayes, Mark Montebello et al.
10 citations
Ketamine is a restricted medication in Australia and New Zealand, with regulations that vary by jurisdiction and generally limit its use in patients who have a history of drug dependence. There is substantial variation in how drug dependence is defined legally and clinically, with clinical definitions from the ICD-11 and DSM-5. This paper reviews evidence on the risk of ketamine misuse and dependence among patients with a history of illicit drug use, abuse, or dependence, and offers recommendations for psychiatrists prescribing ketamine for treatment-resistant depression in this population.
Brain and behavior
June 1, 2026
Aloysius Amos Lau, Shalini Arunogiri, Boen Raner-Galutera et al.
1 citation
Peer Support Workers (PSWs) in mental health and substance use treatment largely support psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) and are willing to recommend it to clients. A survey and follow-up interviews with five PSWs revealed that while interest is strong, concerns exist around client safety, psychoeducation, stigma, and accessibility. The study identifies key factors shaping PSWs' perspectives on PAT, which can inform safe implementation and the potential role of PSWs in this emerging treatment modality.
Addiction (Abingdon, England)
March 30, 2026
Sarah J Catchlove, Katrin Oliver, Michael Savic et al.
In Australia, where psychedelic-assisted therapies were recently legalized for certain mental health conditions, service leaders and clinicians view psilocybin-assisted therapy in three distinct ways: as a treatment of last resort for resistant conditions, as a tool to overcome therapeutic plateaus in ongoing care, and as a catalyst for rapid progress at any treatment stage. Focus groups with nine clinicians and nine health service leaders revealed that both groups see the therapy as a complex intervention dependent on the interplay between medication, therapist skill, client readiness, and care context. Clinicians emphasized careful integration and aftercare, while leaders highlighted operational and ethical tensions within regulatory requirements. The authors suggest that implementation approaches must be reflexive and adaptive.
Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
March 27, 2026
Kade L Huckstep, Billi Newton, Grace Bailey et al.
Post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol use often co-occur and worsen each other, but no medications specifically target trauma-driven increases in drinking. In rats predisposed to heavy alcohol use (inbred alcohol-preferring rats), a single dose of MDMA given before fear-extinction training prevented the rise in alcohol consumption that normally follows a stressful experience. MDMA did not improve long-term fear extinction memory in any group. The effect on drinking was specific to the genetically vulnerable rats and was not explained by prior alcohol history. MDMA's main benefit in this model was disrupting the link between trauma and escalated alcohol intake, not enhancing fear extinction.