Psychiatric Practice Patterns and Barriers to the Adoption of Esketamine Samuel T. Wilkinson, David H. Howard, Susan H. Busch JAMA Published online August 2, 2019 doi:10.1001/jama.2019.10728 Major depressive disorder (MDD) affects approximately 17.3 million adults in the United States,1 with a 12-month and lifetime prevalence of 10.4% and 20.6%, respectively.2 Conducting clinical trials and developing new treatments for depression can be difficult because of spontaneous recovery rates and placebo effects.3 In addition, many patients with chronic and refractory MDD do not experience clinical improvement even after several treatment courses. There is growing interest in the use of exercise and improved nutrition to treat depression,4 [...]
Lire la suiteHeaven and Hell Revisited Peter Webster Composed in 1996 for The Psychedelic Library How is it possible for two persons of such obvious intellectual talent as William Braden and Aldous Huxley to have such radically different experiences as a result of ingestion of a similar quantity of mescaline? Both Huxley and Braden brought to their first psychedelic experiment a wide knowledge and understanding of science, religion, mysticism, literature and fine arts, yet Huxley’s initial psychedelic experience was a revelation, and led to the writing of The Doors of Perception, a book which launched a movement, if not a revolution. William Braden’s experiment, recounted [...]
Lire la suiteFrom local to global—Fifty years of research on Salvia divinorum Ivan Casselman, Catherine J. Nock, Hans Wohlmuth, Robert P. Weatherby, Michael Heinrich Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2014, 151, 768–783 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2013.11.032 a b s t r a c t Ethnopharmacological relevance : In 1962 ethnopharmacologists, Hofmann and Wasson, undertook an expedition to Oaxaca,Mexico. These two researchers were the first scientists to collecta flowering specimen of Salvia divinorum allowing theidentification ofthisspecies.Whilet he species'traditional use is confined to a very small region of Mexico, since Hofmann and Wasson's expedition 50 years ago, Salvia divinorum has become globally recognized for its main active constituent, the diterpene salvinorin A, which has [...]
Lire la suitePsychedelics and the new behaviourism : considering the integration of third-wave behaviour therapies with psychedelic-assisted therapy REVIEW ARTICLE Zach Walsh and Michelle S. Thiessen INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF PSYCHIATRY, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540261.2018.1474088 ABSTRACT This narrative review examines evidence related to the potential for third wave behaviour therapies to serve as adjuncts to psychedelic-assisted therapy. It identifies shared theoretical foundations for both approaches, and notes enhanced mindfulness, decentering, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance as common mechanisms of action. It also identifies potential targets for which both approaches have demonstrated therapeutic potential, including problematic substance use, self-directed and other directed violence, and mood disorders. Based on these commonalities, there is [...]
Lire la suitePsychedelic drugs in the treatment of anxiety, depression and addiction Tor-Morten KVAM, Lowan H. STEWART, Ole A. ANDREASSEN Tidsskrift for Den norske legeforening, 2018. Doi : 10.4045/tidsskr.17.1110 B A C K G R O U N D There is growing interest in the use of psychedelic drugs for the treatment of mental disorders. The drugs are considered safe when administered within a clinical framework. Older studies performed prior to 1970 had methodological shortcomings, but studies in recent years have shown promising results regarding the use of psychedelic drugs in unipolar depression, depression in life-threatening illness, anxiety and addiction. The aim of this literature review is [...]
Lire la suiteClinical potential of psilocybine as a treatment for mental health conditions Jeremy Daniel & Margaret Haberman Mental Health Clinician, 2017, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 24-28 https://doi.org/10.9740/mhc.2017.01.024 Abstract Psilocybin, a classic hallucinogen, is a chemical produced by more than 100 species of mushrooms worldwide. It has high affinity for several serotonin receptors, including 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A, and 5-HT2C, located in numerous areas of the brain, including the cerebral cortex and thalamus. With legislation introduced in 1992, more work is being done to further understand the implications of psilocybin use in a number of disease states. Certain mental health disease states and symptoms have been studied, including [...]
Lire la suiteThe Therapeutic Potentials of Ayahuasca : Possible Effects against Various Diseases of Civilization Ede Frecska, Petra Bokor and Michael Winkelman Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2016, Vol 7, Article 35, 1-17. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2016.00035 Ayahuasca is an Amazonian psychoactive brew of two main components. Its active agents are b-carboline and tryptamine derivatives. As a sacrament, ayahuasca is still a central element of many healing ceremonies in the Amazon Basin and its ritual consumption has become common among the mestizo populations of South America. Ayahuasca use amongst the indigenous people of the Amazon is a form of traditional medicine and cultural psychiatry. During the last two decades, the [...]
Lire la suiteConsideration of Ayahuasca for the Treatment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Jessica L. NIELSON, & Julie D. MEGLER MAPS Bulletin Annual Report, Winter 2012, 29-31. THERE IS A GROWING AMOUNT OF RESEARCH on the development of PTSD and its various treatments. The fact that many people who su!er from PTSD struggle with the currently approved therapeutic options that are available to them suggests that we need to start exploring alternative strategies to treat this disorder.1 With the large number of veterans returning home from war that may have or will develop PTSD, we must have a diverse framework of therapy and integration in place [...]
Lire la suiteA Psychotherapeutic View on the Therapeutic Effects of Ritual Ayahuasca Use in the Treatment of Addiction Anja LOIZAGA-VELDER MAPS Bulletin Special Edition, Spring 2013, 36-40. Ayahuasca is a traditional plant preparation of the Amazon basin with psychoactive properties. In recent decades ayahuasca has gained the attention of researchers in multiple disciplines worldwide due to its acclaimed therapeutic and spiritual qualities. It is an admixture of two plants : the harmaline containing vine Banisteriopsis caapi, and the DMT-containing leafs from the Psychotria viridis bush. It is typically administered by a trained expert in a ritual context. The use of ayahuasca has spread beyond the Amazon [...]
Lire la suiteAyahuasca-Assisted Therapy for Addiction: Results from a Preliminary Observational Study in Canada Gerald Thomas, Philippe Lucas, N. Rielle Capler, Kenneth W. Tupper and Gina Martin Current Drug Abuse Reviews, 2013, 6, (1), 1-13. Abstract: Introduction : This paper reports results from a preliminary observational study of ayahuasca-assisted treatment for problematic substance use and stress delivered in a rural First Nations community in British Columbia, Canada. Methods : The “Working with Addiction and Stress” retreats combined four days of group counselling with two expert-led ayahuasca ceremonies. This study collected pre-treatment and six months follow-up data from 12 participants on several psychological and behavioral factors related to [...]
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