Innovation and inequity in psychedelic research at the Mayo Clinic.
Casimir Klim, Bryan VanDreese, Terence Meyerhoefer, Scott Breitinger
History of Psychiatry April 28, 2025 DOI: 10.1177/0957154X251318489 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | LSD Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Schizophrenia Bioethics medical ethics Research ethics Psychedelics hallucinogens Psychedelic drugs Mayo clinic history Patient rights informe |
| Key points | Argues that historical psychedelic research at the Mayo Clinic sometimes prioritized scientific progress over the autonomy, safety, and equitable treatment of subjects, and that these issues persist in contemporary psychedelic research. |
Abstract
This paper provides an overview of psychedelic research at the Mayo Clinic in the 1950s and 1960s, focusing on methods, objectives, findings, and ethical practices. We highlight instances where researchers prioritized scientific progress over the autonomy, safety, and equitable treatment of research subjects, and discuss this history in the context of ongoing challenges with informed consent and equity in contemporary psychedelic research.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on LSD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Experimental Use of Psychedelic (LSD) Psychotherapy | 1970 | Historical analysis | |
| LSD: My Problem Child | 1981 | Historical analysis | |
| On the Use and Abuse of LSD | 1968 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Use of Music in Psychedelic (LSD) Psychotherapy | 1972 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Flashbacks: Recurrent Intrusive Images After the Use of LSD | 1969 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cites 11
- Psychiatry & the psychedelic drugs. Past, present & future. Neuropharmacology December 25, 2017
- Pharmacological, neural, and psychological mechanisms underlying psychedelics: a critical review Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews September 1, 2022
- The History of Psychedelics in Psychiatry Pharmacopsychiatry December 7, 2020
- The Yale Manual for Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy of Depression (using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as a Therapeutic Frame) August 13, 2020
- Research abuses against people of colour and other vulnerable groups in early psychedelic research Journal of Medical Ethics July 12, 2021
and 6 more in the library