The Potential of Psychedelics for End of Life and Palliative Care.
David B Yaden, Sandeep M Nayak, Natalie Gukasyan, Brian T Anderson, Roland R Griffiths
Current topics in behavioral neurosciences January 1, 2022 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2021_278 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractEnd-of-life and palliative care have improved, but psychopharmacological options for depression, existential distress, and well-being remain limited. This review examines recent clinical research on psychedelics for patients with life-threatening diagnoses and proposes that psychedelics could offer clinicians an additional treatment option in end-of-life and palliative care settings.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Patients with life-threatening diagnoses |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | End of life Palliative care Psychedelics Psychiatry |
| Citations | 31 |
| Key finding | Psychedelics may provide clinicians with an additional psychopharmacological treatment in the context of end-of-life and palliative care. |
Abstract
End of life and palliative care has improved in recent decades but the psychopharmacological options available to clinicians and patients in these contexts remain limited. In particular, psychological factors such as depression, existential distress, and well-being remain challenging to address with current medications. Here, we review recent research on the use of psychedelics in clinical settings with a particular focus on patients with life-threatening diagnoses. We propose that psychedelics may provide clinicians with an additional psychopharmacological treatment in the context of end of life and palliative care.