Journeying to Ixtlan: Ethics of Psychedelic Medicine and Research for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias.
AJOB neuroscience January 1, 2023 Andrew Peterson, Emily A Largent, Holly Fernandez Lynch et al. 42 citations
Psychedelic drugs are not currently offered to people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, but interest is growing in using them to treat underlying causes and psychiatric symptoms. This paper proposes a research agenda for examining the ethics of psychedelic medicine and research involving persons with AD/ADRD. It offers preliminary analyses of six ethical issues: the impact of psychedelics on autonomy and consent; the effect of "ego dissolution" on those experiencing a pathology of self; how psychedelics might affect caregiving; the potential exploitation of patient desperation; institutional review boards' orientation to psychedelic research; and methods to reduce inequity. These issues are magnified for AD/ADRD but also relevant to other clinical populations.