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17 papers
Researchers are testing many different ways to treat substance use problems. The most attention right now is on psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (giving a drug like psilocybin or MDMA together with lots of therapy). Reviews and early trials say this approach can be done safely and looks promising for helping some people, but the evidence for treating addiction is still limited and not yet conclusive (15051,15063,15073,15086). For specific drugs, the strongest controlled evidence so far is for psychedelics in other disorders (for example MDMA for PTSD and psilocybin for some depression and cancer-related anxiety), not yet for most substance use disorders. Other approaches include new chemical versions of old drugs (for example oxa-iboga for opioid problems) that show strong results in animals but not yet in humans (15115,15063,15086). Also, for methamphetamine there are currently no approved medicines that clearly reduce use, despite many trials (15116). Across studies, experts agree that the therapy around drug sessions matters a lot. Careful screening, preparation, the right setting, and follow-up therapy are commonly included and likely affect both safety and outcomes (15065,15086,15051). Safety risks exist (for example rare lasting perceptual problems or psychosis after hallucinogens), and legal, ethical, and industry changes are moving fast and add uncertainty (15097,15080,15079,15087). Tools like AI that read clinical notes could help clinicians spot severity and plan care, but those tools are still in development (15125).
This meta-analysis combined 241 effect sizes from 114 studies to test how six habitual emotion-regulation strategies relate to symptoms of anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and substance-related problems. Rumination showed the strongest (large) link with symptoms. Avoidance, problem solving, and suppression showed medium-to-large links, while reappraisal and acceptance showed smaller (small-to-medium)…
Researchers reviewed many outcome studies and meta-analyses of psychodynamic therapy, which is a type of talking therapy that explores feelings, relationships, and past experiences. They found that psychodynamic therapy often works better than doing nothing (for example being on a waitlist, getting only usual care, or a placebo) for depression,…
Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder, or HPPD, is a rare condition tied to using hallucinogenic drugs. People with HPPD keep having changes in how they see things after the drug wears off. It is diagnosed more often in people who already had mental health problems or problems with drug use, but…
This review explains the fast-growing problem of so-called "legal highs", which are better called novel psychoactive substances or NPS. Unknown labs keep making slightly different chemicals to avoid bans, and this led to about 80 new substances being spotted in one year. The paper groups these drugs into five main…
This paper reviews research on using psychedelic drugs to treat addiction. The authors say scientific and medical interest has grown a lot in the last ten years and that early evidence is starting to show these treatments can be safe and may help with psychiatric problems including addiction. The review…
This paper reviews human and animal research on so-called psychedelics (like psilocybin and LSD) and entactogens (mainly MDMA). The authors say these drugs can produce fast improvements in mental health that sometimes last for months or longer. But we do not yet understand exactly how they work. Human studies point…
Researchers looked at published papers about psychedelic drugs from the last century, using citation maps and other tools to see how the field changed up to March 2022. They found that research was small and mostly about safety for many decades, then grew a lot after the 1990s into a…
This article is a broad review of the new psychedelic industry. The authors look at how psychedelic drugs and clinics moved from decades-old research into a fast-growing business with hundreds of companies and big investment. They describe what companies are trying to sell, point out major scientific, legal, and ethical…
This review looks at recent research where drugs like MDMA and psilocybin are given inside carefully run therapy programs. People get hours of preparation, one or more drug sessions, and several follow-up therapy sessions to help make sense of the experience. Trials so far show big improvements for some people…
Researchers surveyed counseling professionals about psychedelics and psychedelic‑assisted therapy. They found that counselors had mixed feelings overall, but were more accepting when use was medically supervised. Most counselors said these therapies show promise and that more research is needed. The study matters because drugs like MDMA and psilocybin may soon…
This paper reviews recent studies on using psychedelic drugs together with psychotherapy to treat people who have problems with substance use. The authors found promising signs that this approach can be done safely and may help reduce harmful drug use when the drugs are given in carefully controlled, therapeutic settings.…
The authors reviewed 83 papers and guides about how therapists prepare people for substance-assisted psychotherapy — therapy that uses drugs like psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, or ketamine together with psychological support. They found clear agreement that good preparation before a drug session is important for safety and for helping people get…
