Psychedelic-assisted therapies are experiencing a re-emergence in mainstream medicine and mental health contexts. A wide variety of psychedelic-assisted therapy modalities are being utilized to address mental health issues such as substance use disorders, end of life anxiety, treatment-resistant depression, suicidality, PTSD and other conditions. The novel and inchoate acceptance of...
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a state of health emergency affecting the entire world population. Given the serious practical and psychological difficulties and complications that have been experienced during this period, many scholars have created hypothesis, as a consequence, an increased possibility of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) within...
The history of research on the use of psychedelic drugs to treat alcohol dependence in the 1950s and 1960s suggests the need for caution in their proposed clinical use. Since 2006 there has been a revival of interest in using psychedelics to treat depression and post-traumatic stress disorders [1] and the addictions [2]. What lessons may we glean from research in the 1950s and 1960s on the use...
We have progressed to a phase where there is very little difference between men and women, but the reality in many countries is that women are looked down as the inferior gender and not given career opportunities to explore. They are not let into the decision-making roles at the organization even when they have an equal qualification, experience and skill. They are placed low in the hierarchy...
BACKGROUND Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a promising adjunctive treatment for adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and comorbid depression. OBJECTIVES This pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) aimed to evaluate feasibility and efficacy of an adapted MBCT program for AYA, aged 16-29, with IBD. METHODS Sixty-four AYAs were randomly allocated...
NMDA receptor antagonists have a vital role in extinction, learning, and reconsolidation processes. During the reconsolidation window, memories are activated into a labile state and can be stored in an altered form. This concept might have significant clinical implications in treating PTSD. Using amygdala activity as a major biomarker of fear response, we tested the potential of a single...
Dear Editors, Unblinding is an important confounding in pharmacological research potentially affecting rigor and objectivity of the scientific data underlying evidence-based medicine. Therefore, I want to commend the work by Muthukumaraswamy et al. [1] reporting on this problem in clinical trials with psychedelics (Ketamine, LSD, psilocybin and ayahuasca), which are rapidly becoming a focus of...
Resume On estime que le syndrome de stress post-traumatique (PTSD) reste chronique et severe pour 25 a 50 % des patients malgre une prise en charge psychotherapeutique. La MDMA (« ecstasy ») possederait des proprietes psychopharmacologiques qui renforcent l’alliance therapeutique et permettent au patient de travailler sur le contenu traumatique sans etre submerge par la peur et l’anxiete. Les...
The obsessive-compulsive spectrum refers to disorders drawn from several diagnostic categories that share core features related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), such as obsessive thoughts, compulsive behaviors and anxiety. Disorders that include these features can be grouped according to the focus of the symptoms, e.g., bodily preoccupation (i.e., eating disorders, ED) or impulse control...
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This is a comprehensive review of the literature regarding the use of ketamine as a treatment for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). It covers the epidemiology, risk factors, pathophysiology, and current treatment modalities regarding Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and TRD. It provides background on the mechanism of action of ketamine, its history, current approved and...