Innovative psychiatric treatments like ketamine therapy are emerging, but their resource-intensive nature makes them largely available only in the costly private sector, widening mental health inequity for those who cannot afford them. The Royal Prince Alfred Hospital's Ketamine Treatment Clinic, Australia's first public-sector clinic for complex mood disorders, offers a model. Based on three years of experience, the authors review the progress, perils, and pitfalls for clinicians and health services considering establishing a public-sector ketamine treatment service.
Mental health professionals' attitudes toward a trial of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy did not differ overall from their attitudes toward a neutrally labeled pharmacotherapy trial. Psychiatrists were less willing to recommend participation in the MDMA-AP trial than in the control trial. Psychologists and researchers showed no differences. More experienced professionals had greater concern and stronger objections to the MDMA-AP trial than less experienced ones. The findings suggest that certain mental health professionals, particularly experienced psychiatrists, may be hesitant about MDMA-AP, which could pose barriers to its research and implementation.