Ethics of Psychedelic Use in Psychiatry and Beyond—Drawing upon Legal, Social and Clinical Challenges
Philosophies August 24, 2023 Nuno Azevedo, Miguel Oliveira Da Silva, Luís Madeira 11 citations
Psychedelics, which produce powerful mental effects by activating 5HT-2A receptors in the brain, were researched in the 1950s and 1960s until their criminalization. Their renewed clinical investigation as therapeutic tools for psychiatric disorders raises deontological ethical questions for clinicians, patients, and society. A review of 42 articles from 2017 to 2022 concludes that psychedelics must be culturally contextualized, epistemic harm minimized and represented to ensure informed consent. Open data and commissions are needed to guarantee safe and equal distribution.