Research Keyword: research ethics

Ethical Considerations Regarding Psychedelics for Clinical Pain Research

mycolabadmin

This paper examines the ethical considerations necessary when conducting research on psychedelics like psilocybin for treating chronic pain. With chronic pain affecting millions of Americans and traditional treatments like opioids causing significant problems, researchers are exploring psychedelics as alternatives. The authors provide guidance on obtaining proper informed consent, protecting vulnerable patients, managing regulatory requirements, and ensuring research benefits participants while following four key ethical principles: autonomy, beneficence, justice, and avoiding harm.

Read More »

Psychedelics and the treatment of eating disorders: considerations for future research and practice

mycolabadmin

As researchers explore using psychedelic drugs like psilocybin to treat eating disorders, this article outlines important safety considerations and ethical guidelines needed before widespread use. While some early trials show promise, significant concerns exist including physiological risks (heart problems, nausea), psychological challenges, potential for therapist misconduct, and medication interactions. The authors recommend rigorous research designs, better inclusion of diverse populations, and careful integration of psychedelics with proven eating disorder treatments.

Read More »

Psychedelic-assisted therapy – supposedly paradigm-shifting research with poor attempts at hypotheses falsifying and questionable ethics

mycolabadmin

This paper critically examines recent clinical trials testing MDMA and psilocybin for treating PTSD and depression. While these trials reported promising results, the author identifies serious scientific and ethical problems: participants could tell whether they received the drug or placebo due to its strong effects, researchers and therapists who strongly believed in the treatment may have unconsciously influenced patient responses, and negative side effects may have been downplayed. The author argues that without fixing these problems, the entire field of psychedelic therapy research could lose credibility.

Read More »
Scroll to Top