Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy in the Context of Serious Illness.
William E Rosa, Zachary Sager, Megan Miller, Ilan Bernstein, Alden Doerner Rinaldi, Katie Addicott, Michael Ljuslin, Chris Adrian, Anthony L Back, Jamie Beachy, Anthony P Bossis, William S Breitbart, Mary P Cosimano, Stacy M Fischer, Jeffrey Guss, Emma Knighton, Janis Phelps, Brian D Richards, William A Richards, James A Tulsky, Monnica T Williams, Yvan Beaussant
Journal of palliative medicine August 1, 2022 DOI: 10.1089/jpm.2022.0036 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractPsychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is a promising treatment for conditions like treatment-resistant depression, substance use disorder, and PTSD. In palliative care, a single PAT session can produce lasting reductions in anxiety, depression, and demoralization—symptoms that harm quality of life for seriously ill and end-of-life patients. Although interest in psychedelics has revived, few resources exist for applying PAT in hospice and palliative care. This article provides 10 evidence-informed tips for palliative care clinicians, developed with international experts, to help familiarize teams with PAT, address legal and logistical barriers, discuss therapeutic competencies, and highlight approaches to maximize safety and benefits for patients and caregivers.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Palliative care clinicians and patients |
| Topics | Anxiety Depression LSD MDMA Psilocybin Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | Anxiety treatment Demoralization |
| Citations | 49 |
| Key finding | Psychedelic-assisted therapy can safely and effectively reduce anxiety, depression, and demoralization in seriously ill and end-of-life patients, but practical guidance for palliative care clinicians remains limited. |
Abstract
Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is a burgeoning treatment with growing interest across a variety of settings and disciplines. Empirical evidence supports PAT as a novel therapeutic approach that provides safe and effective treatment for people suffering from a variety of diagnoses, including treatment-resistant depression, substance use disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Within the palliative care (PC) field, one-time PAT dosing may lead to sustained reductions in anxiety, depression, and demoralization-symptoms that diminish the quality of life in both seriously ill patients and those at end of life. Despite a well-noted psychedelic renaissance in scholarship and a renewed public interest in the utilization of these medicines, serious illness-specific content to guide PAT applications in hospice and PC clinical settings has been limited. This article offers 10 evidence-informed tips for PC clinicians synthesized through consultation with interdisciplinary and international leading experts in the field with aims to: (1) familiarize PC clinicians and teams with PAT; (2) identify the unique challenges pertaining to this intervention given the current legalities and logistical barriers; (3) discuss therapeutic competencies and considerations for current and future PAT use in PC; and (4) highlight critical approaches to optimize the safety and potential benefits of PAT among patients with serious illness and their caregivers.