EDM event attendees are a high-risk population for substance use and associated adverse effects. The aim of this study was to examine substance use at EDM events, focusing on associations between attendance motives and substance use. Sociodemographic characteristics, event specifics, past-year use, and attendance motives were assessed through an online survey. Participants were 1345 Belgian EDM...
No single effective therapy for alcohol abuse has been found, despite it being a serious sociological and economic problem for hundreds of years. It seems difficult to find a single drug as a panacea for the alcohol problem due to the complexity of the pathophysiology of alcohol dependence. The purpose of this narrative review is to review existing and potentially future pharmaceuticals for the...
Harmful usage of tobacco is a global public health problem associated with adverse health effects and addiction. Yet, in the Peruvian Amazon, the native region of Nicotiana rustica L., this plant is used in remarkably different manners: it is considered a potent medicinal plant, applied in liquid form for oral ingestion to treat mental health problems, a common and ancient healing practice in...
Self or ego dissolution (SED) is a recurring, yet vaguely defined phenomenon often associated with positive therapeutic outcomes within clinical research on classic psychedelic substances. The aim of this thesis is to achieve a deeper understanding and improve terminological clarity of SED in a psychedelic context, here defined as research settings in which moderate to high doses of psilocybin...
Schizophrenia is a widespread psychiatric disorder that affects 0.5-1.0% of the world's population and induces significant, long-term disability that exacts high personal and societal cost. Negative symptoms, which respond poorly to available antipsychotic drugs, are the primary cause of this disability. Association of negative symptoms with cortical atrophy and cell loss is widely reported....
Hallucinogens are a broad category of substances encompassing drugs with diverse pharmacological, phenomenological, and adverse effects. In this chapter, the focus is on disorders caused by and exacerbated by two classes of hallucinogens. These are classic psychedelics (drugs including LSD and psilocybin that exert subjective effects principally by 5HT_2A agonism) and the substituted...
Chronic pain conditions are a substantial health problem and there is a strong need for new treatments.We hypothesise that classical psychedelics such as psilocybin may be one such treatment for chronic pain states.We introduce the pharmacology of psychedelics and existing data on their use in humans, including side effects, safety and abuse liability.We systematically review and explore the...
Background. As a result of the military attack in Ukraine, both the military and civilian population are facing mental health disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and panic attacks. Classical psychotherapy and psychiatry are often ineffective in treating these conditions. In the United States and Europe, a significant amount of research is being...
Classic psychedelics, such as LSD, psilocybin, and the DMT-containing beverage ayahuasca, show some potential to treat depression, anxiety, and addiction. Importantly, clinical improvements can last for months or years after treatment. It has been theorized that these long-term improvements arise because psychedelics rapidly and lastingly stimulate neuroplasticity. The focus of this review is...
This article analyzes how psychopharmacology transformed the relationship between art and psychiatry. It outlines a novel genealogy of art therapy, repositioning its origins in the context of evolving clinical practices and discourses on mind-altering drugs. Evaluating the use of psychotropic drugs in connection with psychopathology of art in the first half of the twentieth century, the article...