Health care practitioners’ knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of psychedelic treatments for mental disorders: A scoping review
Jacqueline Samantha Womersley, Gabriela Iacovou, Yumna Kathrada, Marnus Janse Van Vuuren, Hannah Lukic, Soraya Seedat
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Scoping review Qualitative |
|---|---|
| Population | Health care professionals surveyed across 39 studies |
| Key findings | Across 39 studies, health care professionals generally performed well on objective knowledge assessments but reported lower confidence in psychedelic-assisted therapy theory and practice. Attitudes toward therapeutic potential, safety, and legalization were mostly favorable, with concerns about misuse, triggering psychiatric disorders, and cognitive impairment. Lack of trained personnel and resources, cost, side effects, and misuse were the most frequently endorsed implementation barriers. |
Abstract
Interest in psychedelic treatments for mental health conditions is growing. Health care professionals will be key in the implementation, recommendation, and administration of psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) if and when it is approved for clinical use, making their knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions (KAPs) central to successful translation into practice. We conducted a scoping review of health care professionals’ KAPs toward the psychedelic treatment of mental health conditions. Thirty-nine studies, comprising both quantitative and qualitative investigations, were included. The number of studies, and range of health care professionals surveyed, increased over time, though research remained concentrated in North America, Europe, and Australia. Participants mostly performed well on objective knowledge assessments, but this did not necessarily align with subjective knowledge, which indicated lower self-reported confidence in PAT theory and practice. Attitudes toward psychedelics’ therapeutic potential, safety, and legalisation were generally favourable, although concerns included potential misuse, risk of precipitating subsequent psychiatric disorders, and cognitive impairment. Participants generally perceived psychiatrists and specialised facilities as most suitable for PAT administration, and the need for further research was strongly supported. A lack of trained personnel and resources, and cost, side effect, and misuse concerns, were the most frequently endorsed barriers to implementation. Research into health care professionals' KAPs regarding psychedelic treatment is maturing, but important gaps remain: granular insight into KAPs toward specific compound-disorder combinations is lacking, and geographic coverage does not reflect the global burden of mental illness. Addressing these gaps will be important as PAT moves closer to clinical implementation.