A global survey revealed that most mental health care workers would consider integrating psychedelic treatments into their practices if such modalities were legalized in their countries.
The survey from health care insights platform Sermo included more than 430 mental health care providers from eight countries, including the U.S., Canada and several European nations. It was taken between Aug. 28 and Sept. 4, the firm said.
According to the survey results, 94% of respondents are “very open” or “somewhat open” to integrating psychedelic and dissociative drug treatments into their practice in the future, if legalized in their country.
That openness was coupled with a strong belief in the potential of such treatments, with 93% of respondents agreeing that “psychedelic medicines have unique therapeutic potential compared to traditional medications in treating patients with significant mental health conditions, such as treatment-resistant depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anorexia nervosa.”
Familiarity with different psychedelic substances varied among health care professionals. Ketamine was cited as the most well-known, with 48% of respondents indicating they were either “very familiar” or “extremely familiar” with its use in mental health treatment. MDMA followed at 27%, while LSD and psilocybin were at 24% and 26% respectively.
The survey also showed that 41% of respondents have already prescribed or recommended ketamine to their patients, significantly higher than other psychedelics, including psilocybin (14%), MDMA (10%) and LSD (9%).
Still, workers identified several prerequisites for integrating treatments. The survey found that 83% of respondents cited the need for clinical guidelines as a key resource for effective implementation of psychedelic therapies in a legalized context. Additionally, 82% called for “comprehensive training programs on psychedelic pharmacology and psychology.”
When considering criteria for patient selection, 48% of respondents cited “lack of response to traditional treatments and therapies” as the most important factor. Almost all of the respondents – 93% – considered a patient’s previous treatment history as either “extremely important” or “very important” in deciding whether to consider them for psychedelic or dissociative drug treatment.
In addition, patient interest in psychedelic treatments appears to be growing. The survey reported that 81% of professionals have noticed patients becoming “significantly more open” or “somewhat more open” to discussing psychedelics over time. More openness was primarily attributed to a “growing acceptance of alternative mental health treatments” (75%) and “increased media coverage on psychedelics” (64%).
Despite that openness, respondents also expressed some concern about the move toward integrating psychedelics into general therapy. When asked about the most significant barriers to implementing psychedelic and dissociative drug treatments, 28% cited lack of clinical research and evidence as the top concern, followed by regulatory restrictions at 26%.
The survey also noted common misconceptions about psychedelic medicines encountered in patient conversations. The most prevalent misconception, cited by 53% of respondents, was that “using psychedelics will lead to addiction/dependency.”
On the regulatory front, 67% of respondents believe that drug compounding pharmacies should not be allowed to dispense ketamine for patient use outside of a certified health care setting, however, opinions were split on other issues.
For instance, 52% of U.S. health care professionals surveyed believe that “an exception should be made for veterans to receive MDMA treatment for PTSD,” despite recent non-approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Conversely, 73% agreed with the FDA’s decision to grant breakthrough status to LSD-based medications for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder.
More than half, 59%, of respondents believe that ketamine is being prescribed off-label too often for conditions such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain.
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