By Roxanne Sholevar, MD
Instructor in Psychiatry
Dana Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA
With a growing public and scientific interest in the use of psychedelic-assisted therapies for a variety of mental health disorders, appraisal of the potential risks, as well of the benefits, of these treatments is critical. The use of psychedelics for patients with serious illness, who are experiencing psychological and existential distress, is a particularly exciting area of research as there is a significant unmet clinical need for effective treatments.
Two members of a research group in Boston, MA studying the potential application of psilocybin-assisted therapy for patients receiving hospice care considered three major questions around psychedelic-assisted therapies in a debate-style presentation:
- Are these treatments effective for psychological and existential distress in patients with serious illness?
- Are these treatments safe?
- Can these treatments be practically implemented?
Major points identified are that psychedelic-assisted therapies have the potential to be powerfully disruptive to the individual, relational, clinical, and societal levels, and without robust support structures in place, in particular sound psychotherapy models and educational platforms, there is a risk of undue harm and risk.
