Classic psychedelic medicines for adolescent refractory mental health disease

Abstract

Abstract Adolescent refractory mental health disorders are rising globally, contributing to long-term morbidity and substantial societal burden. Conventional psychotropic medications and psychotherapeutic approaches sometimes fail to provide adequate relief, necessitating an interest in novel investigational interventions. Classic psychedelic compounds—Psilocybin, Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD-25), and Dimethyltriptamine (DMT)—administered within Psychedelic Assisted Therapy (PAT) frameworks have shown strong efficacy in adults with refractory psychiatric conditions. However, adolescents remain excluded from clinical trials. Concerns regarding the safety of classic psychedelic use in adolescents are justified and must be contextualized within limitations of existing evidence. Available data are observational and underpowered to detect long-term outcomes. While adult studies suggest low physiological toxicity, minimal dependence liability and a wide therapeutic index, these findings cannot be directly extrapolated to adolescents undergoing neurodevelopment. This commentary advocates for cautious, ethically grounded consideration of controlled research involving classic psychedelic compounds in adolescents with refractory mental health disorders.

In the evidence

This study is part of the evidence base for a synthesis in the library. Here is how each one recorded it.

• State of the evidence: LSD for anxiety ?Unclear

  Argues that adult evidence of efficacy for classic psychedelics cannot be extrapolated to adolescents and that controlled research in this group should proceed cautiously and ethically.

  Synthesized October 22, 2026