As interest grows in the potential of psychedelic drugs used to treat mental health conditions such as depression, addiction, and PTSD, there’s been a steady stream of stories about such emerging therapies, how they are administered, and their impact on patients. The latest comes from the New York Times which reports on a Mexican clinic that caters to female U.S. veterans who have experienced war and sexual assault and are seeking treatment that is not currently a standard of care at VA hospitals. Many former military members have become forceful advocates for psychedelic therapies—including a powerful hallucinogen derived from the poison of the Sonoran desert toad—and go to Mexico to get it, as the legal landscape in the U.S. is in a grey zone (some cities and states are decriminalizing such drugs but they are illegal on a federal level). In the Times story, participants go through a harrowing experience, but some report positive results and an improvement in their conditon. There is a growing body of evidence showing that psychedelics may be helpful for these conditions, and the field is attracting the attention of scientists and psychiatrists as well as venture capitalists interested in gaining a stakehold in what could be a lucrative market. Still, many are warning that the hype about the curative potential of psychedelics has so far outpaced hard evidence and that the risks—including episodes of psychosis—are considerable. We should move ahead with more studies about psychedelics to establish their safety, efficacy, and clinical best practices to administer them to ensure patients are not harmed.
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