Clinical research worldwide is again investigating psychedelic substances as treatments for addiction, depression, anxiety, and PTSD. This renewed interest follows a period of research that ran from the 1950s until it was terminated, and the abstract indicates that current studies are exploring these substances' therapeutic potential for those conditions.
Among marginalised women in Vancouver, those who had ever used a psychedelic drug showed a 60% lower hazard of developing suicidal ideation or attempts over 54 months, after adjusting for other factors. Crystal methamphetamine use tripled the hazard, and childhood abuse more than tripled it. Nearly half of the 766 women had prior suicidality and were excluded; among the 290 without it at baseline, 11% developed suicidality during follow-up, an incidence of 4.42 per 100 person-years. The findings suggest naturalistic psychedelic use may have a protective association, while other illicit drug use and childhood trauma increase risk.
A 37-year-old woman with a 19-year history of severe opioid use disorder, who had never achieved more than two months of continuous abstinence while on methadone, maintained an ongoing 18-month period of abstinence after a four-day ibogaine treatment. No safety issues were observed. The authors suggest that ibogaine may produce transformative experiences that lead to long-term remission in some treatment-refractory patients, but rigorous trials are needed to establish safety and efficacy.