Is it now time to prepare psychiatry for a psychedelic future?
David Nutt, Ilana B Crome, Allan H. Young
The British Journal of Psychiatry May 20, 2024 DOI: 10.1192/bjp.2024.76 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Depression MDMA Psilocybin PTSD |
| Keywords | Psychedelics Mental healthcare Psychedelic treatment MDMA Ecstasy Psilocybin magic |
| Citations | 18 |
| Key findings | Australia's rescheduling of psilocybin and MDMA creates both opportunities and challenges for psychiatry communities and health systems in responding to these developments. |
Abstract
Australia has just rescheduled two drugs controlled under the United Nations Psychotropic Drug Conventions, psilocybin and MDMA, as treatments for treatment-resistant depression and post-traumatic stress disorder respectively. This feature explores the reasons for these developments, the opportunities and challenges they provide to psychiatry communities and how along with health systems these communities might respond to these developments.
In the evidence
This study is part of the evidence base for 2 syntheses in the library. Here is how each one recorded it.
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Argues that Australia's rescheduling of psilocybin and MDMA creates opportunities and challenges for psychiatry and health systems.
Synthesized
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Explores opportunities and challenges for psychiatry after Australia rescheduled psilocybin and MDMA as treatments for treatment-resistant depression and PTSD respectively.
Synthesized
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on psilocybin for PTSD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Novel psychopharmacological therapies for psychiatric disorders: psilocybin and MDMA. | 2016 | Review | |
| Registered clinical studies investigating psychedelic drugs for psychiatric disorders. Registered clinical trials on clinicaltrials.gov evaluating psychedelics for... | 2021 | Review | n = 70 |
| The Psychedelic Future of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment | 2024 | Comprehensive review | |
| Diverse therapeutic developments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) indicate common mechanisms of memory modulation. | 2022 | Review | |
| Psychoactive Drugs in the Management of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Promising New Horizon | 2022 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 19
- Psychedelics: A review of their effects on recalled aversive memories and fear/anxiety expression in rodents Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews September 20, 2024
- Autism, youth suicide, and psychedelics: A review of the 21st century evidence. Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA October 1, 2024
- Extraction Yields of Psilocybin and Psilocin: A Short Review of Current Methods and Their Implications Pharmaceuticals March 7, 2025
- Use of psychedelic treatments in psychiatric clinical practice: an EPA policy paper European Psychiatry 2025
- Effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine on the gut microbiota and metabolites in the small intestine, cecum, and colon of male rats. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry January 10, 2025
and 14 more in the library
Cites 9
- Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: an open-label feasibility study. The Lancet Psychiatry May 17, 2016
- Trial of Psilocybin versus Escitalopram for Depression New England Journal of Medicine April 14, 2021
- Single-Dose Psilocybin for a Treatment-Resistant Episode of Major Depression. New England Journal of Medicine November 3, 2022
- MDMA-assisted therapy for severe PTSD: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study. Nature Medicine June 1, 2021
- Percentage of Heavy Drinking Days Following Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy vs Placebo in the Treatment of Adult Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder JAMA Psychiatry August 24, 2022
and 4 more in the library