Treatment with psychedelics is psychotherapy: beyond reductionism.
Journal
The lancet. Psychiatry
ISSN: 2215-0374
Titre abrégé: Lancet Psychiatry
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101638123
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
12 Dec 2023
12 Dec 2023
Historique:
received:
17
08
2023
revised:
17
10
2023
accepted:
19
10
2023
medline:
16
12
2023
pubmed:
16
12
2023
entrez:
15
12
2023
Statut:
aheadofprint
Résumé
Treatment of psychiatric disorders with psychedelic substances represents one of the most promising current treatment approaches in psychiatry. Since its inception in the 1950s, therapy with psychedelics has been conceptualised as psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy-ie, a form of psychotherapy that uses the profound biological effects of this class of substances as a catalyst for changing thinking, emotions, and behaviour. In this view, the psychotherapy component of the treatment is considered as being of the utmost importance for both the safety and efficacy of the therapy. This conceptualisation has been challenged by the idea that the latest clinical studies suggest that the potential therapeutic effects of psychedelics must be attributed solely to the substance itself, with no role for psychotherapy. Here, accompaniment by therapists is understood as mere psychological support, to maintain the safety of the substance administration. In this Personal View, we contrast these two views and argue that the characterisation of treatment with psychedelics as a biological intervention (with psychological support as a purely safety-related component) represents an outdated and reductionistic dualism that has dominated psychiatric treatment and research for far too long. This discussion has important implications for the study and the regulation of these compounds.
Identifiants
pubmed: 38101439
pii: S2215-0366(23)00363-2
doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(23)00363-2
pii:
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Review
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
Declaration of interests GG has served as a consultant for Boehringer Ingelheim, the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care, Janssen-Cilag, Lundbeck, Otsuka, Recordati, Roche, ROVI, Lundbeck, Otsuka, and Recordati. GG has served on the speakers' bureaus of Gedeon Richter, Janssen-Cilag, Lundbeck, Otsuka, and Recordati. GG has received grant support from Boehringer Ingelheim, Lundbeck, and Saladax and is cofounder or shareholder of the Mind and Brain Institute, Brainfoods, OVID Health Systems, and the MIND Foundation. HJ is cofounder and shareholder of OVID Health Systems and the MIND Foundation. GG, MB, LJM, HJ, DJS, and MW are members of the MIND Foundation. All other authors declare no competing interests.