Overview of Psychedelic Medicine

EXPERT COMMENTS

• Editor’s Note: We are thrilled to introduce this update to the psychiatry POC-IT guide featuring several new sections on psychedelic medicine. As psychedelic medicine emerges as subfield of Psychiatry, we recognize the need to educate providers on the rapidly shifting scientific landscape where media hype has often outpaced evidence-based recommendations[1]. The POC-IT platform we believe is uniquely suited to provide expert-reviewed information on psychedelic medicines that can be updated in real-time to reflect the evolution of this rapidly changing field.
• The initial sections covered by this guide seek to highlight the three primary medications, their chemical properties and methods of clinical use, that are under investigation using the psychedelic treatment model: Psilocybin, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and Ketamine.
  • Ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, often prompts confusion when discussed within the context of psychedelic medicine because it has several clinical uses that do not employ the psychedelic treatment model, i.e. a model where a non-ordinary state of consciousness is induced with deliberate attention to mindset, preparation and psychological integration that altered state.
• While these three substances are most likely to be seen in clinical research or in early adoption within clinical practice (as is the case with ketamine), other novel psychedelic medicines are currently under investigation and may progress toward clinical use in the future.
• In addition to featuring these medications, we also elected to share important considerations around ethical concerns within the field of psychedelic medicine, safety and harm reduction with recreational users, as well as opportunities for enriching diversity equity and inclusion within psychedelic clinical research.