Each month our editorial team sifts through hundreds of papers and curates notable findings—for practitioners and informed readers who want to stay current with the evidence. Subscribe to the monthly Research Digest for expert analysis and concise summaries of key papers.
Researchers are studying many kinds of “other” treatments for mental health. These include short, fast-acting psychedelics (like 5‑MeO‑DMT and DMT/ayahuasca), new drugs that aim to rewire the brain without strong trips (called non-hallucinogenic psychoplastogens), traditional plant medicines used by healers, and new synthetic drugs that appear on the market. Studies range from lab work and single-case reports to small clinical trials and systematic reviews, so the evidence is mixed in size and quality (15122, 15082, 15077, 15118, 15099). Some results look promising. Several reports find short-term drops in depression, suicidal thinking, or alcohol use after psychedelic experiences, and laboratory work suggests these drugs can change brain activity and help the brain form new connections. But there are real risks, such as drug-induced hallucinations and a rare condition called HPPD (long-lasting changes in perception). Many findings are early, small, or inconsistent, and experts disagree about whether the intense, subjective experience of a psychedelic is needed for benefit (15093, 15122, 15082, 15080, 15097, 15077).
This paper reviews what medicines have been tested to treat methamphetamine use disorder in animals and people. The authors say there are still no approved drugs that reliably cut cravings or help people stop using meth. Some medicines helped in animal tests but did not lower meth use in people,…
