The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
September 1, 2026
C Poppe, D Repantis
Abstract Background MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) has shown promise for treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), leveraging unique affective effects such as enhanced trust, empathy, and social connectedness. Despite preliminary efficacy, ethical challenges in clinical trials may directly affect regulatory approval and future clinical implementation. Aims & Objectives The...
Suchttherapie
August 1, 2026
Yann David Kippe, C. Poppe, Dimitris Repantis et al.
Zusammenfassung Klassische Halluzinogene („Psychedelika“) wie Lysergsäurediethylamid (LSD), Psilocybin, N,N-Dimethyltryptamin (DMT) und 5-Methoxydimethyltryptamin (5-MeO-DMT) werden zurzeit wieder als potenzielle Behandlungsoptionen bei Substanzgebrauchsstörungen untersucht. Psychedelika entfalten ihre Wirkung über eine Aktivierung von serotonergen 5HT-2a Rezeptoren im zentralen Nervensystem,...
JME Practical Bioethics
July 1, 2026
Christopher Poppe, Chiara Caporuscio, Dimitris Repantis
Psychedelic treatments hold significant therapeutic promise for various psychiatric conditions. However, their unique therapeutic setting with psychedelic substance dosing sessions presents a particular ethical issue concerning patient autonomy. This article explores the ethics of limiting personal autonomy and freedom of movement during dosing sessions due to concerns for physical safety....
Psychopharmacology
June 10, 2026
Julian Kirsch, Christopher Poppe, Anne Beck et al.
BACKGROUND: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) remains a major global health concern, with high morbidity and mortality and limited long-term treatment success. Psychedelic therapy has re-emerged as a potential novel intervention for AUD, yet little is known about how affected individuals perceive such treatments. METHODS: This mixed-method study explored attitudes and perceptions of psychedelic...
Brain and Behavior
June 1, 2026
Christopher Poppe, Liisa Lyck, Laura Bechtold et al.
1 citation
Expectations strongly shape participant experiences in clinical trials, contributing to placebo effects that complicate interpretation of outcomes. While quantitative tools exist to measure expectations, their subjective and multidimensional nature, especially for individuals with treatment-resistant depression (TRD), remains underexplored. This study aimed to explore the motivations and...
JAMA Psychiatry
August 1, 2025
Christopher Poppe, Jan Christoph Bublitz, Dimitris Repantis
This Viewpoint describes the benefits of providing psychedelic treatment to persons with psychiatric conditions as life-preserving care before physician-assisted death.
Neuroethics
April 1, 2025
Christopher Poppe, Daniel Villiger, Dimitris Repantis et al.
9 citations
Abstract In the present paper, we analyze the ethical issues in training for psychedelic therapy and discuss mitigation strategies for these issues. Specifically, after describing models of psychedelic training, we describe four problems of psychedelic training: (1) the imperative for comprehensive training due to vulnerability of participants, (2) psychedelic but not psychotherapeutic...
Psychological Medicine
2025
Chiara Caporuscio, Christopher Poppe, Astrid Gieselmann et al.
9 citations
Abstract Based on promising preliminary results from clinical trials, it seems likely that psychedelic substances (classic serotonergic psychedelics, such as psilocybin, and entactogens, such as MDMA) will be introduced into psychiatry as psychedelic-assisted therapy. This also raises a range of ethical questions that urgently need to be addressed before widespread roll-out in society. This...
Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences
November 8, 2024
Christopher Poppe, Dimitris Repantis
9 citations
In this chapter, we provide an overview of ethical aspects of psychedelic-assisted treatments in the areas of clinical ethics, research ethics, and at the intersection of psychedelic medicine and society. In contrast to earlier psychedelic research, nowadays medical ethics have been firmly established as a discipline regulating patient-physician relationships which highlight the importance of...