Commentary: Access to Psychedelics for Psychological Suffering at the End of Life - Prioritizing Our Priorities.
Daniel Rosenbaum, Sarah Hales, Daniel Z. Buchman
Healthcare policy = Politiques de sante May 1, 2023 DOI: 10.12927/hcpol.2023.27047 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 5 |
| Key points | Argues that policy attention to psychedelic therapies for end-of-life suffering may overstate the evidence base and that addressing inequities in palliative care access is a more pressing priority. |
Abstract
We agree with Kratina et al. (2023) that the problem of psychological suffering at the end of life deserves attention from a policy standpoint and that psychedelic therapies show promise in this clinical context. However, we argue the following in this rejoinder: (1) disproportionate attention to psychedelics may overstate the current evidence base, potentially diverting resources away from existing evidence-based programs; (2) a more pressing policy priority related to this public health problem is to address population-level inequities in accessing high-quality, early and holistic palliative care, including psychosocial care; and (3) discussions about expanded access to psychedelics must also foreground equity issues.