INTRODUCTION: The treatment of comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) is significantly more challenging than the treatment of either disorder alone. While gold standard evidence-based treatments exist for this comorbidity, clinically significant improvements are only observed in approximately half of clinical trial participants. The use of adjunctive...
Peer Support Workers (PSWs) in mental health and substance use treatment draw on their lived experience (LE) to support clients through mutual understanding and trust. Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is emerging as a mental health and substance use treatment modality. As interest grows, understanding PSWs' perspectives on PAT is critical to inform safe and effective implementation, and the...
Australia recently down-scheduled and authorised psychedelic-assisted therapies, including psilocybin, for certain mental health conditions. Evidence is emerging for potential application in substance use disorder treatment. However, regulatory developments have outpaced implementation readiness. While service leaders and clinicians are crucial to implementation, little research examines their...
Comorbidity between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use is common and mutually-reinforcing, yet there are no pharmacological strategies that specifically target trauma-linked escalation of alcohol intake. We evaluated whether 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), given in a therapy-adjunctive fashion (30 min before fear extinction), could facilitate extinction of...
Ketamine is a restricted and regulated medication in Australia and New Zealand, which has implications when considering treatment for patients with treatment-resistant depression and a history of illicit drug use, abuse or dependence. Regulations governing prescription of ketamine for treatment-resistant depression vary between jurisdictions in Australia and New Zealand, though most restrict...
Objective: There has been widespread interest from the public and media in the potential of ketamine as a novel treatment for depression. This paper reviews whether current evidence supports the use of ketamine for the clinical treatment of depression. Conclusions: Clinical trials have investigated the use of intravenous ketamine for the treatment of depressive symptoms over the past 15 years....