Psychedelics: how much effective and safe is their potential use in psychiatry and psychotherapy? The state of the evidence

Journal title PNEI REVIEW
Author/s Francesco Dente
Publishing Year 2023 Issue 2023/1
Language Italian Pages 17 P. 89-105 File size 1110 KB
DOI 10.3280/PNEI2023-001006
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In the last decade, research on the therapeutic use of psychedelics has un- dergone a surge, especially with regard to their potential application in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. These studies investigated the safety and efficacy of various psychedelic substances, such as the classic psychedelics (psilocybin, ayahuasca and LSD), ketamine and MDMA. Studies have fo- cused on the treatment of various psychiatric disorders such as depression, substance addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Moreover, thanks to the development of neuroimaging techniques, it is possible to inve- stigate how these substances modulate the different brain networks, and how they seem to effect their therapeutic mechanisms. In this article, the Author will describe the general aspects of different psychedelics, from the classifica- tion to the different pharmacological mechanisms, underlining the differen- ces between classic and non-classic psychedelics. Furthermore, the various components of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy will be analyzed with par- ticular regard to the set and setting variables. Finally, a literature review will be performed regarding the most important studies of the last decade on the topic of the treatment of anxiety and depression with classic psychedelics and ketamine, substance addictions treated with classic psychedelics and ketami- ne and the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder with MDMA

Keywords: Psychedelics, Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, Setting, Psilocybin, Ketamine, MDMA.

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Francesco Dente, Gli psichedelici: quanto è efficace e sicuro il loro possibile impiego in psichiatriae psicoterapia? Lo stato delle evidenze in "PNEI REVIEW" 1/2023, pp 89-105, DOI: 10.3280/PNEI2023-001006