Psychedelic drugs such as LSD and psilocin were once relegated to the fringes of medical research because of their association with counterculture movements and a perceived concern about harm through recreational use, and their consequent legal prohibition in the early 1970s. However, these drugs are now experiencing a renaissance in the field of psychiatry based on increasing evidence that...
O uso terapêutico de psicodélicos tem ganhado crescente interesse na psiquiatria, principalmente no tratamento de transtornos mentais resistentes a terapias convencionais, como a depressão resistente e a ansiedade. Este artigo de revisão aborda os fundamentos bioquímicos, a segurança e as indicações emergentes de psicodélicos, como ayahuasca, DMT, psilocibina e LSD, com foco nos mecanismos...
Abstract Background and aims Altered states of consciousness (ASC) represent acute and marked deviations from normal waking consciousness. Investigations into ASC are significant to problems in medicine, science, and philosophy, including the structure of conscious experience. Here, we conducted a preliminary investigation into the structure of ASC while addressing the role of psychedelics,...
Background: Despite significant advancements in the treatment of depression, challenges such as inadequate response rates and high placebo effects highlight the need for improved therapies and a deeper understanding of treatment expectations. Patient expectations play a crucial role in treatment outcomes but have not been systematically investigated in the context of novel interventions like...
Background: Structural inequalities in healthcare access may influence how individuals experience the psychological effects of psychedelic substances, potentially limiting positive outcomes among vulnerable populations. Objectives: This study uses data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2008–2019; N = 484,732) to examine how public and private health insurance moderate the...
Introduction The aesthetic qualities of psychedelic experiences have long been documented, but their specific contribution to therapeutic outcomes remains understudied. Aesthetic experiences may facilitate emotional breakthroughs and cognitive shifts, potentially playing a crucial role in the lasting psychological benefits observed following psychedelic use. Methods This cross-sectional study...
May 14, 2025Michael D. Cole, Lata Gautam, Agatha Grela1 citation
This chapter introduces drugs derived from plants and fungi including lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin (from ‘magic mushrooms’), N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and mescaline. Their physical description and chemical identification are described. The use of fluorescence detection for HPLC analysis of drugs and the greater selectivity it offers over UV and diode array detection are...
People with eating disorders experience high rates of psychiatric comorbidities, including anxiety disorders such as generalised anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder and specific phobias. Anxiety can influence the prognosis of an eating disorder, by worsening symptoms, and acting as a barrier to treatment. Therefore, targeting treatment efforts towards anxiety may improve eating disorder...
Microdosing, the repeated use of psychedelic substances at low doses, is growing in popularity among recreational consumers. While this practice is associated with many benefits to mood, well-being and health, research in this area is in its early stages and predominantly centered on human applications. In this narrative review, we synthesize the findings from studies investigating the effects...
Medical research in psychedelics in the West has re-emerged in the 21st century after the research in the 1950s and early 1960s had collapsed by 1966 (Pollan 2018, 220). The results of recent research have been promising in the treatment of anxiety in terminal cancer patients and in the treatment of addiction and depression. Even at this early stage, the beneficial effects of psychedelics in...