“Scientists Push to Renew Psychedelic Drug Research for Psychiatry”
-CBC Radio interviews UK neuropsychopharmacologist David Nutt, Mark Haden of MAPS, and historian Erika Dyck about the past and present politics and science of psychedelic research.
Ketamine for Harmful Drinking: A Look at the Data
New research contends that ketamine can reduce problematic alcohol use but does the data support the claims?
The Important Drugs Debate Question That Nobody’s Asking
In this piece for Vice, Max Daly explores the impact of societal attitudes toward drug use and drug users on the drug policy debate over prohibition...
Researchers Describe “Mind-blowing” Findings With Psychedelics
-Michael Pollan visits the resurgence of interest in the psychotherapeutic properties of psychedelic drugs in an essay in The New Yorker.
When Legal Drugs Harm and Illegal Drugs Help
From Scientific American: In a day and age when people are increasingly becoming addicted to prescription drugs, and increasingly helped by the therapeutic effects of illicit...
Despite “Flurry of Interest,” Ketamine Remains Unproven For Depression
In 2014, then National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) director, Thomas Insel, speculated that ketamine “might be the most important breakthrough in antidepressant treatment in decades.” A recent review of the research suggests that while ketamine may produce a rapid short-term improvement in depression, the effect is short-lived and the potential for addiction and dependence warrants considerable caution.
“FDA Forced to Release Adverse Event Reports on Psychiatric Drugs”
Following a lawsuit brought by Andrew Thibault of Parents Against Pharmaceutical Abuse (PAPA), the FDA has produced adverse event and severe adverse event reports...
What Is “Normal” Anyway?
From Scientific American: Although "normal" technically means average or typical, both researchers and the general public often view normality as a standard we should all...
New Study Casts Doubt on Efficacy of Ketamine for Depression
A new study, published this month in the Journal of Affective Disorders, investigated the effectiveness of weekly intravenous ketamine injections as a treatment for...
Sunday History Channel: Seventy-five Years of Psychedelic Psychiatry
Mo Costandi provides a brief history in The Guardian of research activities using psychedelic substances such as LSD for psychiatric and psychotherapeutic purposes. Costandi...
“I Did Psychedelic First Aid at a Festival in Costa Rica”
-Eamon Armstrong describes the Zendo Project, and his own experience providing support for people taking psychedelic drugs.
What Are “Hard” and “Soft” Drugs?
From Neuroskeptic: A new paper examines the often arbitrary distinction between "hard" and "soft" drugs, recommending that scientists avoid using these classifications in research publications.
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“Healing with MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy” and Other Psychedelic Stories
The Multi-Disciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies' Winter 2014 Bulletin is freely available. Among other articles, the issue includes a personal story of a patient,...
The Psychedelic Renaissance is Here. Will it Last This Time?
From Massive: Increasing evidence suggests that psychedelics may revolutionize mental health care. In order for this "psychedelic renaissance" to last, scientists and citizens will need...
“The Manual of Psychedelic Support”
-Zevic Mishor writes about the development and release of a free guide to supporting people through extreme states induced by the use of psychedelic drugs.
Psychedelic Use Associated with Reductions in Suicidal Tendencies
People who have taken a psychedelic drug at least once have less suicidal thinking than the general population.
“Can psychedelic trips cure PTSD and other maladies?”
The Washington Post explores some of the history of research into the therapeutic potentials of even just one session with a psychedelic drug, and...
New Study Investigates Cannabidiol (CBD) for Psychosis
A new study examines the effects of CBD as an adjunct therapy to antipsychotic medication for patients diagnosed with schizophrenia.
“FDA Agrees to New Trials for Ecstasy as Relief for PTSD Patients”
Last week, the FDA gave permission for ecstasy to move into Phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of PTSD. “If they can keep...
The Ketamine Consensus?
From Discover Magazine: A group of psychiatrists from the American Psychiatric Association has recently released A Consensus Statement on the Use of Ketamine in the...
“Club Drug Ketamine Gains Traction As A Treatment For Depression”
NPR reports on how ketamine is being used off-label to treat depression.
Dissolving the Ego: Transcendence and Ecstasy
From Aeon: Experiencing ecstasy and transcendence has long been pathologized and marginalized by Western culture and the psychiatric model of "mental illness." However, ecstatic experiences, including...
MDMA Crossed a Hurdle on the Path to Being Legally Prescribed
From Yahoo! Finance: The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) has passed a major hurdle on the path to getting MDMA approved for medical use....
Medicine Can Soothe a Troubled Mind, but Not Without Costs
From The New York Times: In a new book, Blue Dreams, psychologist and patient Lauren Slater critiques the drug-based model of psychiatric care, debunking the chemical...
Rise in Psychiatric Prescriptions With NOS Diagnosis
A “not otherwise specified” (NOS) diagnosis is often used when an individual may have some symptoms related to a psychiatric diagnosis but does not meet enough criteria to warrant a particular diagnosis. A new study, published online ahead of print in Psychiatric Services, reveals that the proportion of mental health visits resulting in such NOS diagnoses rose to nearly fifty percent, and that these diagnoses do not result in more conservative psychiatric drug prescriptions.
