Background: MDMA-assisted psychotherapy (MDMA-AP) is a combined psychotherapeutic and pharmacologic intervention that shows promise in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although therapeutic alliance has been established as a key predictor across psychotherapies and is emphasised within MDMA-AP treatment manuals, research has not yet examined the relationship between...
Introduction: The positive results of MDMA from Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials in MDMA-assisted therapy (MDMA-AT) for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) call for a critical evaluation of its regulatory status within the European mental healthcare system. This is driven by the recent submission of MDMA-AT for FDA approval in the United States. Unless coordinated efforts in the...
LGBT health2024Ziad Saade, Brady D. Hanshaw, Alex S Keuroghlian3 citations
Sexually and gender diverse (SGD) populations experience an increased prevalence and severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared with the general population. Minority stress theory contextualizes this increased disease burden by outlining how stigma and discrimination (e.g., homophobia and transphobia) contribute to worse mental health outcomes. The standard-of-care...
Results from multiple recent studies support further evaluation of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in conjunction with psychotherapy (i.e., MDMA-Assisted Therapy) in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In two Phase 3 trials, MDMA-Assisted Therapy comprised a short-term, intensive psychotherapy that included three sessions directly facilitated by MDMA (referred to as...
It is important to understand how mental health practitioners view recent findings on psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) as there is potential this treatment may be incorporated into clinical practice. The aim of our study was to explore how psychiatrists who are not involved in psychedelic research and who are located in the European region perceive psychedelics and PAP. We conducted...
Background: Psychedelic drugs have recently emerged as plausibly effective pharmacological agents for the management of depression, anxiety, and other neuropsychiatric conditions, including conditions that have not benefited from prior interventions. The latter half of the twentieth century marked a revolution in the treatment of depression, anxiety, and psychosis, exemplified by the...
AbstractAssociated with high-risk behavior, borderline personality disorder (BPD) remains one of the field's most misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and stigmatized conditions. Individuals with BPD are frequently labeled as treatment-resistant patients. Furthermore, 25–58% of BPD individuals have a comorbid diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and BPD may be conceptualized as a...
In light of high-profile cases of sexual assault and other unethical conduct by therapists, recent clinical research involving psychedelic drugs has generally mandated the video recording of therapy sessions. In this paper, I address a gap in the literature by investigating ethical issues related to video recording in the unique context of psychedelic therapy sessions. I begin by summarizing...
Objective To compare group and individual psychedelic-assisted therapy in terms of clinician time, costs and patient access. Methods Using 2023 data from two group therapy trial sites, one using 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) to treat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and one using psilocybin to treat major depressive disorder (MDD), we compared overall variable costs, clinician...
The field of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and state-run psychedelic services will need to adequately train and certify facilitators to meet the anticipated demand for access. This article explores the role of peer support in the setting of medical and non-medical supervised psychedelic administration. Existing peer-support frameworks from both the psychedelic and the Veteran communities...