Party drugs encompass a broad spectrum of legal and illegal psychoactive substances used in party settings such as clubs, festivals, raves or private gatherings to modulate mood, perception, social interaction and bodily states. Most commonly, alcohol and cannabis are consumed, followed by amphetamine, MDMA (“ecstasy”), cocaine and ketamine. Synthetic cathinones, GHB/GBL (“liquid ecstasy”),...
INTRODUCTION: Sertonergic psychedelics LSD, psilocin and DMT, have been shown to hold a great potential for treatment of various neuropsychiatric conditions, such as major depressive disorder, addiction, and end-of-life anxiety. Effects of these substances on neuronal activity and plasticity have been demonstrated, however, better understanding of their mechanism of action is crucial for...
Laws to control drugs have been progressively introduced since the early twentieth century to reduce non-medical use and drug-associated harm. Restrictions on what are now deemed ‘controlled drugs’ and, in New Zealand, ‘prohibited plants’ unjustly impact both medical care and research. The impact on research has frequently been cited in reference to the use of drugs in clinical research, such...
Les psychothérapies assistées par psychédéliques (PAP), en anglais Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies (PAT), sont des thérapies qui supposent le recours à des substances psychotropes, telles que la psilocybine ou le LSD. En plein essor, ces psychothérapies assistées par psychédéliques semblent efficaces dans les cas de troubles dépressifs sévères ou de détresse existentielle. S’appuyant sur un...
Background: Psychedelic-assisted therapy is gaining renewed attention as a potential treatment for various mental disorders. Despite increasing numbers of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and meta-analyses, a comprehensive synthesis of the evidence across different substances and indications is lacking. This umbrella review aims to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of...
Purpose A systematic review was conducted to synthesize the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of psychedelics including ketamine, MDMA, ayahuasca, LSD, DMT, ibogaine, and psilocybin in the treatment of PTSD. Recent Findings Among 5,155 studies identified, 42 studies met criteria and were included in our systematic review. Ketamine consistently produced rapid symptom improvement that attenuated...
Psychedelics such as psilocybin, LSD, and MDMA have shown promise in treating mental health conditions (e.g., depression, post-traumatic stress disorder) among neurotypical individuals, i.e., typically developing individuals without a diagnosed neurodevelopmental condition. However, their therapeutic potential for treating co-occurring mental-health conditions in autistic individuals remains...
With a focus on the 1970s—in particular, narratives recounting Michel Foucault’s 1975 LSD experience at Zabriskie Point in Death Valley, as well as Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1970 film Zabriskie Point—this article seeks to recover any politically or aesthetically radical potential that psychedelics might still retain, given neoliberalism’s recent recouperation, containment, legalization,...
Scientific interest in psychedelics, documented since the nineteenth century, has recently resurged after decades of prohibition. Contemporary research highlights their therapeutic potential in treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders, alongside their heuristic value for studying brain networks and consciousness. This chapter reviews the historical trajectory, traditional uses, mechanisms of...
Psychedelics are gaining recognition for their effectiveness as modulators of neuroplasticity in the treatment of a range of neuropsychiatric disorders. Psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide, N,N-dimethyltryptamine, and ketamine are substances that mainly affect the serotonergic and glutamatergic systems. They induce rapid synaptogenesis, dendritic remodeling, and changes in functional...