Is Psychedelic Medicine on the Horizon?
Psychiatric News February 28, 2019 DOI: 10.1176/appi.pn.2019.1b1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | News report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | MDMA Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Psychotherapist Hallucinogen |
| Key points | The report suggests that psychedelic compounds such as LSD and magic mushrooms may help patients with treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders if used properly. It notes that psychiatric research on these drugs, active in the early 20th century, halted after the 1970 Controlled Substances Act and is now slowly resuming. |
Abstract
New research suggests that, if used properly, psychedelic compounds may be able to help patients with treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders. Psychedelic compounds such as LSD and magic mushrooms were the subject of a good deal of psychiatric research in the first half of the 20th century. This all changed in 1970, when President Richard Nixon signed the Controlled Substances Act, which in part prohibited the use of psychedelics for any reason. While studies of these drugs waned for a couple of decades as a result, the drugs are slowly making their way back into the laboratory.