Dissociation is a lack of the normal integration of thoughts, feelings, and experiences into the stream of consciousness and memory. Dissociation occurs to some degree in normal individuals and is thought to be more prevalent in persons with major mental illnesses. The Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) has been developed to offer a means of reliably measuring dissociation in normal and...
Alarcon, Dickinson, and Dohn (J. Nerv. Ment. Dis., 170: 217-223, 1982) recently reviewed the phenomenon of memory flashback following use of hallucinogenic drugs. They point out that while there are a considerable number of explanations concerning the flashback mechanism, little is known about the real causes. This paper examines flashback following drug ingestion in the light of other memory...
This Special Issue of Neuropharmacology on psychedelics provides a timely and comprehensive update on progress following the previous Neuropharmacology Special Issue “ Psychedelics: New Doors, Altered Perceptions ” . Remarkable advances have been made in basic and clinical research on psychedelics in the five years since 2018. It is partly based on the seminar series focused on psilocybin...
Sexual hallucinations are little known, yet often extremely burdening, phenomena. In this systematic review, we summarize what is known about their phenomenology, prevalence, etiopathology, ensuing distress, and treatment options. Sexual hallucinations can be experienced as genital or orgasmic sensations, although other sensory modalities can also be involved. With the notable exception of...
Ibogaine has garnered interest for its potential therapeutic properties in substance use and psychiatric disorders. Unlike classic psychedelics such as psilocybin or LSD, ibogaine remains underexplored in clinical research. This review aimed to synthesize the clinical literature on ibogaine use in humans over the past 3 decades, focusing on outcomes and safety. We conducted a narrative review...
After becoming notorious for its use as a party drug in the 1980s, 3,4-methylenedioxy-methampetamine (MDMA), also known by its street names "molly" and "ecstasy," has emerged as a powerful treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There are extensive data about the risk profile of MDMA. However, the literature is significantly biased. Animal models demonstrating neurotoxic or adverse...
Ketamine, an arylcyclohexylamine dissociative anesthetic agent, has evolved into a versatile therapeutic. It has a rapid-onset, well-understood cardiovascular effects and a favorable safety profile in clinical use. Its enantiomeric compound, esketamine, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2019 for both treatment-resistant depression and major depressive disorder with suicidal...
Psychedelic drugs have recently emerged as plausibly effective pharmacological agents for the management of depression, anxiety, and other neuropsychiatric conditions, including those that are treatment-resistent. The latter half of the 20th century marked a revolution in the treatment of mental illnesses, exemplified by the introduction of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and other...
Roughly 40% of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and roughly 31% of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) fail to respond to first-line treatment, and the two disorders co-occur in approximately half of all cases. No objective, nocturnal biomarker currently distinguishes which patients will fail to recover, or why. This paper proposes that a subgroup of...
Legal access to psilocybin almost always requires a medical diagnosis first, usually treatment-resistant depression (TRD) or severe PTSD, as though informed consent alone was not sufficient. This article makes two connected arguments. Extending the autonomy argument already accepted for terminally ill patients, competent adults who understand the potential benefits and risks of a psilocybin...