As psychedelics gain acceptance for mental health treatment, corporate funding of clinical trials raises concerns about conflicts of interest and biased reporting. The evidence for safety and efficacy of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy remains early. This paper examines safety concerns associated with psychedelics, how financial stakeholders may influence the reporting of safety outcomes, and why balanced science communication is critical for public health and safety during ongoing drug reform.
Personality disorders involve rigid, maladaptive patterns of thinking and relating to others, which are hard to treat. Schema therapy, which targets early maladaptive schemas formed from unmet emotional needs, shows moderate effectiveness mainly for borderline personality disorder. Psilocybin, a psychedelic, may relax deeply held beliefs and increase cognitive flexibility, according to predictive coding models. This theoretical article proposes combining psilocybin with schema therapy—called Psilocybin-Assisted Schema Therapy (PAST)—to help patients revise maladaptive self-beliefs and improve treatment outcomes for Cluster B and C personality disorders. The framework awaits empirical testing.