Beyond the psychedelic hype: Exploring the persistence of the neoliberal paradigm
Journal of Psychedelic Studies September 21, 2023 James Davies, Brian A. Pace, Neşe Devenot 29 citations
Psychedelic medicine is promoted as a novel solution to the mental health crisis, but the psychedelics industry adopts profit-driven approaches similar to those that undermined earlier antidepressants like SSRIs. The liberatory rhetoric of psychedelic medicalization actually promotes individualized treatments for distress, distracting from systemic changes needed to address root causes like inequality, precarity, exploitation, and ecological collapse. Through mechanisms of depoliticization, productivization, pathologization, commodification, and de-collectivization, the industry aligns with neoliberal ideology rather than disrupting the psychopharmaceutical status quo. The authors conclude that psychedelics must decouple from neoliberal incentives to achieve durable improvements in well-being.