The frontiers of new psychedelic therapies: A survey of sociological themes and issues

Abstract

Abstract Psychedelic compounds are on the cusp of being approved by medical regulators for treatment‐resistant mental health disorders. Following promising clinical trials, and as rates of mental ill health rise globally, psychedelic medicine presents a new paradigm for treating depression, anxiety, addiction and post‐traumatic stress disorder. The novelty of psychedelic therapies, the cultural stigma they elicit, and the challenges of regulation and implementation urgently call for a sociological lens onto this emerging field of psychiatry. This article identifies key sociological issues related to the medicalisation of psychedelic‐assisted therapies. It begins with a brief overview of the field's history and current treatment approaches. We then identify and critically examine three areas of sociological interest: the of role advocacy in the advancement of scientific research and the destigmatisation of psychedelics; issues related to the medicalisation and pharmaceuticalisation; and integration into healthcare systems. The challenges and affordances of psychedelics to existing therapeutic models, regulation and monetisation are highlighted, and the socio‐political context of the pharmaceutical industry, research, investment and implementation is examined. Drawing on health science literature in this field, the article offers a sociological lens on clinical psychedelic medicine as an emerging and potentially paradigm shifting field of psychiatry and psychotherapy.