Safety and Stigma of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy

As we learned, the war on drugs had a big impact on creating a stigma around the use of psychedelics.

Thankfully, research continues to support the safety of psychedelic medicines and their therapeutic use (dos Santos et al., 2018; Mitchell et al., 2021).

Video: Safety and Stigma of Psychedelics

4:02

In this video, we’ll learn about the stigma associated with psychedelics building on what we learned in an earlier module as well as the safety of these medicines.

Outcomes of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy

In this section, we'll learn about the positive outcomes of psychedelic-assisted therapy as well as some potentially negative outcomes and risks of psychedelic use.

Video: Positive Outcomes of Psychedelics

2:23

There are many positive outcomes associated with psychedelic use which are discussed further in this video.

Negative Outcomes

In contrast with other treatments (including outside of psychotherapy), the potential for negative outcomes is relatively low. Let’s explore the potential adverse effects, abuse potential, lethality, and potential for neurotoxicity.

Video: Adverse Effects of Psychedelics

1:40

In this video, we’ll learn about some of the potential adverse effects of psychedelics which are present only during the effects of the medicine.

Video: Abuse Potential and Lethality

5:49

Dr. Christie discusses the potential of abuse of psychedelics in this video. You will also learn about the degree to which psychedelics can be lethal.

Video: Neurotoxicity

1:02

There has been some concern previously for the potential of neurotoxicity, specifically with MDMA. Dr. Christie elaborates on this and explains further.

Video: Challenging Stigma

2:52

Finally, we will end this module by justifying why this stigma towards psychedelics needs to be challenged in order to help people move towards healing.

References

AAT Bioquest, Inc. (2023, September 13). Quest Database™ Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Toxicity (LD50). AAT Bioquest.

AAT Bioquest, Inc. (2023). Quest Database™ Psilocybin Toxicity (LD50). AAT Bioquest.

dos Santos, R. G., Bouso, J. C., Alcázar-Córcoles, M. Á., & Hallak, J. E. C. (2018). Efficacy, tolerability, and safety of serotonergic psychedelics for the management of mood, anxiety, and substance-use disorders: A systematic review of systematic reviews. Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology, 11(9), 889-902.

Krebs, T. S., & Johansen, P. Ø. (2013). Psychedelics and mental health: a population study. PloS one, 8(8), e63972.

Mitchell, J. M., Bogenschutz, M., Lilienstein, A., Harrison, C., Kleiman, S., Parker-Guilbert, K., ... Doblin, R. (2021). MDMA-assisted therapy for severe PTSD: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study. Nature Medicine, 27, 1025-1033.

Orhurhu, V. J., Vashisht, R., Claus, L. E., & Cohen, S. P. (2023) Ketamine Toxicity.