Psychedelic medicine is promising but not ready to be rolled out to patients, say UK doctors

Clinical trials are underway across Europe testing whether psychedelic-assisted therapies can help address mental health disorders. But doctors urge a ‘sober science’ approach.

Psychedelic drugs could one day help treat mental illnesses, but the evidence isn’t strong enough yet to offer them to patients, according to a new report from psychiatrists in the United Kingdom.

After decades of restrictions, researchers have taken a renewed interest in the potential of psychedelics such as MDMA, ketamine, LSD, and psilocybin – the hallucinogenic compound found in magic mushrooms – in recent years. Now, several late-stage clinical trials are ongoing to test psychedelics in the UK, mainland Europe, and the United States.

The drugs are thought to boost mental health by affecting processes in the brain, changing people’s perspectives about themselves and their experiences. In trials, people usually receive talk therapy alongside the medication.

For the new report, the UK’s Royal College of Psychiatrists analysed the existing research on these treatments, finding that they could help treat mental health problems as wide-ranging as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and addiction.