Indole Hallucinogens as Animal Models of Schizophrenia

Research on indole hallucinogens and schizophrenia is hampered by a persistent divide: clinicians with access to schizophrenic patients lack advanced gas chromatographic and mass spectrographic facilities, while chemists with those tools cannot access suitable patient populations. Psychiatric research strategy, funding, and social and legal pressures around informed consent and commitment of the mentally ill further slow progress. In Michigan, these obstacles have become so severe that most research with mental patients has stopped. The authors argue that efforts to protect patients' rights are inadvertently discarding their rights to proper diagnoses and better treatments.

Study at a glance

Abstract

To say the least, the literature on indole hallucinogens and schizophrenia is confusing. This is because investigators who have access to schizophrenic patients do not have sophisticated gas chromatographic and mass spectrographic facilities, and those chemically sophisticated researchers who have such analytic facilities do not have access to a suitable patient research population. This situation has existed for some time and probably will continue to exist for a long time. The current nature of psychiatric research strategy, funding, social and legal pressures regarding informed consent and commitment of the mentally ill all combine to retard progress. This situation has become so confusing in the State of Michigan in the last two years that most research with mental patients has stopped. In attempting to protect the rights of the mentally ill, their rights to proper diagnoses and better treatments are being discarded.