Psychiatry might need some psychedelic therapy Matthew W. Johnson International Review of Psychiatry, 2018, 30, 4, 285-290, DOI: 10.1080/09540261.2018.1509544 EDITORIAL Psychiatry might need some psychedelic therapy In historical and modern-day studies, psychedelic drugs have shown promise in managing a variety of psychiatric disorders, but their medical use has often raised controversies. The controversies have related to social, political, and legal challenges. History Although anthropological evidence suggests that classic psychedelic drugs (hereafter, ‘psychedelics’) have been used by various indigenous peoples as sacraments and healing agents before recorded history, in the mid-twentieth century they came to occupy a place at the cutting edge of psychiatric research (Johnson, Richards, & Griffiths, [...]
Lire la suiteThe tripping point : The potential role of psychedelic-assisted therapy in the response to the opioid crisis Elena Argento, Kenneth W. Tupper, M. Eugenia Socias International Journal of Drug Policy, 2019, 66, 80–81 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2018.11.006 0955-3959/ © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved A B S T R A C T The increasing contamination of the drug supply with illicitly manufactured fentanyl and related analogs in North America has resulted in the most severe drug-overdose crisis in history. Available pharmaco-therapy options for the treatment of opioid use disorder have had limited success in curbing the current crisis, and a growing body of evidence highlights the need for [...]
Lire la suiteTexas Peyote Culture Kevin FEENEY Cactus and Succulent Journal, 2018, 90, (1), 29-38 Peyote (Lophophora williamsii (Lem.) Coult.) has deep roots in Texas, or a deep taproot to be precise. While Texas is currently home to a federally regulated peyote trade, where members of the Native American Church (NAC) can legally purchase peyote for use in religious ceremonies, archaeological sites in Texas, and neighboring Coahuila, also mark the earliest known ceremonial associations between humans and peyote. It is believed that the peyote rituals of the Huichol, Nahua, Tarahumara, Cora, Tepehuan, and more recently the NAC, all trace their origins to the peyote gardens [...]
Lire la suitePotential Therapeutic Effects of Psilocybin Matthew W. Johnson & Roland R. Griffiths Neurotherapeutics, 2017, 14, 734–740 DOI 10.1007/s13311-017-0542-y Abstract Psilocybin and other 5-hydroxytryptamine2A agonist classic psychedelics have been used for centuries as sacraments within indigenous cultures. In the mid-twentieth century they were a focus within psychiatry as both probes of brain function and experimental therapeutics. By the late 1960s and early 1970s these scientific inquires fell out of favor because classic psychedelics were being used outside of medical research and in association with the emerging counter culture. However, in the twenty-first century, scientific interest in classic psychedelics has returned and grown as a result of [...]
Lire la suitePrevalence and Correlates of Cannabis Use in Outpatients with Serious Mental Illness Receiving Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorders Jordan Skalisky, Emily Leickly, Oladunni Oluwoye, Sterling M. McPherson, Debra Srebnik, John M. Roll, Richard K. Ries, and Michael G. McDonell Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, 2017, 2, (1), 133-138 DOI: 10.1089/can.2017.0006 Abstract Introduction : People with serious mental illness (SMI) use cannabis more than any other illicit drug. Cannabis use is associated with increased psychotic symptoms and is highly comorbid with alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Despite the national trend toward decriminalization, little is known about the prevalence, correlates, and impact of cannabis use on those with SMI [...]
Lire la suiteLegally high ? Legal considerations of Salvia divinorum O. Hayden GRIFFIN III, Bryan Lee MILLER, David N. KHEYS Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2008, 40, (2), 183-190 In the past few years, there has been an apparent increase in the recreational use of Salvia divinorum. Its origins lie in the Mazatecan culture where its ceremonial use had historic ties to the traditional mystic religion and medicine practiced by its people. This psychoactive plant is native to the forest ravines of Oaxaca, Mexico--the area inhabited by the Mazatecs. It is a relative in the mint family, a family of plants that includes several psychoactive species. [...]
Lire la suitePsychedelics and Mental Health : A Population Study Teri S. Krebs, Pal-Ørjan Johansen PLoS ONE, 2013, 8, (8): e63972. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0063972 Abstract Background : The classical serotonergic psychedelics LSD, psilocybin, mescaline are not known to cause brain damage and are regarded as non-addictive. Clinical studies do not suggest that psychedelics cause long-term mental health problems. Psychedelics have been used in the Americas for thousands of years. Over 30 million people currently living in the US have used LSD, psilocybin, or mescaline. Objective : To evaluate the association between the lifetime use of psychedelics and current mental health in the adult population. Method : Data drawn from years 2001 [...]
Lire la suitePotential Psychiatric Uses for MDMA B.B. Yazar-Klosinski and M.C. Mithoefer CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, 2017, 101, 2 www.wileyonlinelibrary/cpt doi:10.1002/cpt.565 Phase II trials of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)- assisted psychotherapy have demonstrated initial safety and efficacy for treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with potential for expansion to depression and anxiety disorders. In these trials, single doses of MDMA are administered in a model of medication-assisted psychotherapy, differing from trials involving daily drug administration without psychotherapy. This model presents an opportunity to utilize accelerated regulatory pathways, such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Breakthrough Therapy Designation, to most effectively and expeditiously test such novel approaches. BACKGROUND MDMA-assisted [...]
Lire la suiteBeyond LSD : A Broader Psychedelic Zeitgeist during the Early to Mid-20th Century Jacob S. Aday, M.S. , Emily K. Bloesch, Ph.D. , and Christopher C. Davoli, Ph.D. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2019 https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2019.1581961 ABSTRACT During the 1950s and 1960s, there was a tremendous surge in research into the effects of psychedelic drugs. When discussing this period of research, the discovery of the psychoactive properties of LSD in 1943 is often presented as the main, and sometimes only, driving force of the boom in research. This “Great Person,” or “Great Chemical,” historiographical lens fails to acknowledge other factors that were fundamental in setting the stage [...]
Lire la suiteIbogaine and Subjective Experience : Transformative States and Psychopharmacotherapy in the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder Thomas K. Brown, PhDa, Geoff E. Noller, PhDb, and Julie O. Denenberg, MAc Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 2019 https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2019.1598603 ABSTRACT This article examines the therapeutic potential of ibogaine, a powerful oneiric alkaloid derived from Tabernanthe iboga, through exploring the subjective experiences of 44 participants from two observational treatment studies for opioid use disorder. Following treatment with ibogaine HCl, the participants (Mexico, n = 30; New Zealand, n = 14) completed the States of Consciousness Questionnaire (SCQ) to quantify the magnitude of their psychotropic experience. Participants were asked to provide [...]
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