Causal Inference in Studies with Functional Unmasking: Psychedelics and Beyond
medRxiv Preprint Server December 5, 2025 Gabriel Loewinger, Mats J. Stensrud, Sandeep M. Nayak et al. preprint
In clinical trials for mental health treatments, functional unmasking (unblinding) is a widespread challenge wherein participants become aware of their assigned treatment. Unmasking is especially concerning with psychedelics, due to the near unmistakable acute effects (the “trip”), resulting in uncertainty about whether outcomes following treatment reflect true therapeutic properties of the...