Clinical applications of hallucinogens: A review.
Albert Garcia‐romeu, Brennan Kersgaard, Peter H. Addy
Exp Clin Psychopharmacol August 1, 2016 DOI: 10.1037/pha0000084 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Anxiety MDMA PTSD |
| Keywords | Psychedelics: psilocybin Hallucinogens Hallucinogen-assisted therapy Mental health: depression Mental well-being Mental health conditions Therapy: treatment Medical settings Therapeutic potential Medical research: evidence Findings Promise Explored |
| Citations | 198 |
| Key findings | A growing body of evidence indicates that hallucinogens may have therapeutic applications beyond their potential for abuse, particularly for psychedelics, entactogens, and dissociatives. |
Abstract
Hallucinogens fall into several different classes, as broadly defined by pharmacological mechanism of action, and chemical structure. These include psychedelics, entactogens, dissociatives, and other atypical hallucinogens. Although these classes do not share a common primary mechanism of action, they do exhibit important similarities in their ability to occasion temporary but profound alterations of consciousness, involving acute changes in somatic, perceptual, cognitive, and affective processes. Such effects likely contribute to their recreational use. However, a growing body of evidence indicates that these drugs may have therapeutic applications beyond their potential for abuse. This review will present data on several classes of hallucinogens with a particular focus on psychedelics, entactogens, and dissociatives, for which clinical utility has been most extensively documented. Information on each class is presented in turn, tracing relevant historical insights, highlighting similarities and differences between the classes from the molecular to the behavioral level, and presenting the most up-to-date information on clinically oriented research with these substances, with important ramifications for their potential therapeutic value. (PsycINFO Database Record
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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State of the evidence: MDMA for PTSD Supports
A growing body of evidence indicates hallucinogens including MDMA may have therapeutic applications beyond their potential for abuse.
Synthesized
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Argues that a growing body of evidence indicates hallucinogens including entactogens may have therapeutic applications beyond their potential for abuse.
Synthesized
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on MDMA for anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| MDMA-assisted therapy: A new treatment model for social anxiety in autistic adults. Individuals who have received MDMA for research purposes | 2016 | Review | n = 1,133 |
| Long-Term Neuropsychiatric Consequences of "Ecstasy" (MDMA): A Review Chronic recreational users of ecstasy (MDMA), including adolescents | 2002 | Review | |
| A review of emerging therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs in the treatment of psychiatric illnesses | 2020 | Review | |
| Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy in the Context of Serious Illness. Palliative care clinicians and patients | 2022 | Review | |
| The Use of Psilocybin in the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders with Attention to Relative Safety Profile: A Systematic Review Articles screened from PubMed | 2022 | Review | n = 76 |