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Down the rabbit hole – the psychological and neural mechanisms of psychedelic compounds and their use in treating mental health and medical conditions

Summary

Psychedelic compounds like psilocybin and LSD are showing significant promise for treating various mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, and PTSD. These substances appear to work through multiple mechanisms, including inducing profound mystical experiences and increasing neuroplasticity in the brain. Research indicates that environmental and contextual factors significantly influence how effective these treatments are, and even virtual reality experiences mimicking psychedelic effects show therapeutic benefits. The field is moving toward responsible, evidence-based clinical applications of psychedelics in psychiatry.

Background

Psychedelic substances have demonstrated promising therapeutic effects across various mental health conditions including depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD, and substance use disorders. These effects are hypothesized to work through multiple mechanisms at cellular, molecular, network, and psychological levels.

Objective

This editorial aims to highlight new interdisciplinary research on psychedelic substances to advance understanding of their mechanisms of action and potential impact on clinical populations. It brings together data from basic research, clinical and interventional studies to support responsible and evidence-based use of psychedelics in psychiatry and mental health.

Results

Key findings include that mystical experiences induced by psychedelics are linked to positive therapeutic outcomes; contextual factors like media exposure significantly influence psychedelic experiences; novel substances and non-pharmacological simulations show promise for depression and other disorders; and in vitro studies suggest psychedelics may not have immunosuppressive effects.

Conclusion

An interdisciplinary approach to understanding psychedelic therapeutic potential is valuable. Mystical experiences require deeper theoretical examination, contextual factors must be considered in research and clinical applications, and psychedelics may benefit multiple psychiatric conditions including ADHD, PTSD, and fibromyalgia with further research.
  • Published in:Frontiers in Psychiatry,
  • Study Type:Editorial Review,
  • Source: PMID: 38915850, DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1431389
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