Psychedelics are classed as a schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 because of the potential for mind-changing effects. In vulnerable people, unsupervised use has the potential to lead to suicide. However, the management of end-of-life anxiety, severe resistant depression, resistant obsessive–compulsive disorder, and substance abuse is met with a high failure rate. The preliminary study on psychedelics has yielded promising results, prompting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to classify them as a breakthrough medicine. More phase 3 research, funded by pharmaceutical company, are in the works. Similar studies should be funded by national institutes and government bodies to ensure unbiased results, as the findings of such studies may need legislative changes.
Nichols DE. Psychedelics. Pharmacol Rev 2016;68(2):264–355. DOI: 10.1124/pr.115.011478.
Byock I. Taking psychedelics seriously. J Palliat Med 2018;21(4):417–421. DOI: 10.1089/jpm.2017.0684.
Nutt D. Psychedelic drugs—a new era in psychiatry? Dialogues Clin Neurosci 2019;21(2):139. DOI: 10.31887/DCNS.2019.21.2.
Carhart-Harris RL, Goodwin GM. The therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs: past, present, and future. Neuropsychopharmacology 2017;42(11):2105–2113. DOI: 10.1038/npp.2017.84.
Greif A, Šurkala M. Compassionate use of psychedelics. Med Health Care Philos 2020;23(3):485–496. DOI: 10.1007/s11019-020-09958-z.
Bolwig TG. Neuroimaging and electroconvulsive therapy: a review. J ECT 2014;30(2):138–142. DOI: 10.1097/YCT.0000000000000140.
Dunlop BW, Mayberg HS. Neuroimaging-based biomarkers for treatment selection in major depressive disorder. Dialogues Clin Neurosci 2014;16(4):479. DOI: 10.31887/DCNS.2014.16.4/bdunlop.
Griffiths RR, Richards WA, Johnson MW, et al. Mystical-type experiences occasioned by psilocybin mediate the attribution of personal meaning and spiritual significance 14 months later. J Psychopharmacol 2008;22(6):621–632. DOI: 10.1177/0269881108094300.
Moreno FA, Wiegand CB, Taitano EK, et al. Safety, tolerability, and efficacy of psilocybin in 9 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. The Journal of clinical psychiatry 2006;67(11):18864.
Greenway KT, Garel N, Jerome L, et al. Integrating psychotherapy and psychopharmacology: psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and other combined treatments. Expert Rev Clin Pharmacol 2020;13(6):655–670. DOI: 10.1080/17512433.2020.1772054.
Johnson MW, Hendricks PS, Barrett FS, et al. Classic psychedelics: an integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. Pharmacol Ther 2019;197:83–102. DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2018.11.010.
Jerome L. Psilocybin Investigator's Brochure. Multidisciplinary Association 2007.
Siegel AN, Meshkat S, Benitah K, et al. Registered clinical studies investigating psychedelic drugs for psychiatric disorders. J Psychiatr Res 2021. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.05.019.
Doblin RE, Christiansen M, Jerome L, et al. The past and future of psychedelic science: an introduction to this issue. J Psychoactive Drugs 2019;51(2):93–97. DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2019.1606472.
Barnett BS, Greer GR. Psychedelic psychiatry and the consult-liaison psychiatrist: a primer. J Acad Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry 2021;62(4):460–471. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaclp.2020.12.011.