Counselors’ attitudes toward psychedelics and their use in therapy

UK medical students' self-reported knowledge and harm assessment of psychedelics and their application in clinical research: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

To capture UK medical students' self-reported knowledge and harm assessment of psychedelics and to explore the factors associated with support for changing the legal status of psychedelics to facilitate further clinical research.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional, anonymous online survey of UK medical students using a non-random sampling method.

SETTING

UK medical schools recognised by the General Medical Council.

PARTICIPANTS

132 medical students who had spent an average of 3.8 years (SD=1.4; range: 1-6) in medical school.

RESULTS

Most students (83%) reported that they were aware of psychedelic research and only four participants (3%) said that they were not interested in learning more about this type of research. Although medical students' harm assessment of psychedelics closely aligned with that of experts, only 17% of students felt well-educated on psychedelic research. Teachings on psychedelics were only rarely encountered in their curriculum (psilocybin: 14.1 (SD=19.9), scale: 0 (never) to 100 (very often)). Time spent at medical schools was not associated with more knowledge about psychedelics (r=0.12, p=0.129). On average, this sample of medical students showed strong support for changing the legal status of psychedelics to facilitate further research into their potential clinical applications (psilocybin: 80.2 (SD=24.8), scale: 0 (strongly oppose) to 100 (strongly support)). Regression modelling indicated that greater knowledge of psychedelics (p<0.001), lower estimated harm scores (p<0.001), more time spent in medical school (p=0.024) and lower perceived effectiveness of non-pharmacological mental health treatments (p=0.044) were associated with greater support for legal status change.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings reveal a significant interest among UK medical students to learn more about psychedelic research and a strong support for further psychedelic research. Future studies are needed to examine how medical education could be refined to adequately prepare medical students for a changing healthcare landscape in which psychedelic-assisted therapy could soon be implemented in clinical practice.

Psychologists' and psychotherapists' knowledge, attitudes, and clinical practices regarding the therapeutic use of psychedelics

INTRODUCTION

This study explored the current knowledge, attitudes, and clinical practices regarding psychedelics among mental health professionals in California, where state legislation to decriminalize psychedelics has been proposed.

METHOD

Two hundred thirty-seven mental health providers (74% female; mean age 54; 83% White; 46% psychologists) completed a 37-item online survey between November 2021 and February 2022, disseminated through local and state-wide professional organizations in California.

RESULTS

Providers endorsed limited knowledge about the risks and benefits of psychedelic use (M = 4.7 and 5.4, respectively, with 10 = high knowledge) and inadequate knowledge to counsel patients on use (45%). Gaps in knowledge related to psychedelic drug scheduling and current use in clinical research were identified. Providers expressed support for additional psychedelic research (97%), approval of recreational (66%) and medical (91%) psychedelic use, belief in the potential therapeutic benefits of psychedelics (89%), and concerns about safety (33%) and potential psychiatric risks (27%). Results indicated that most providers discuss psychedelic use with patients (73%), yet many do not feel comfortable addressing the effects of use (49%). There were significant correlations between knowledge and attitudes towards psychedelics (r = 0.2, p = .006; r = 0.31, p < .001) and attitudes and clinical practices (r = 0.34, p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that providers are interested in psychedelic-assisted treatments and hold favourable attitudes towards the therapeutic use of psychedelics yet lack the knowledge to appropriately counsel patients, highlighting the need for additional provider education about psychedelics.

Medical student attitudes and perceptions of psychedelic-assisted therapies

Introduction

Although certain psychedelic agents may soon gain federal approval for use in treating specific psychiatric conditions, the utilization of such therapies in clinical practice will depend largely on the attitudes of healthcare providers. Therefore, this study assesses the current attitudes, knowledge, exposure, and acceptance of psychedelics and psychedelic-assisted therapies amongst medical students.

Methods

In fall semester of 2022, surveys were emailed to 580 medical students attending medical institutions in the state of Nevada in the United States. Utilizing knowledge and attitude items from previously published studies, the survey collected demographic data and assessed student attitudes with five-point Likert-scale variables. Data was analyzed using summary statistics and Kruskal-Wallis tests for differences in mean survey scores (i.e., attitudes towards psychedelics) based on demographic factors.

Results

132 medical students participated in the survey (22.7% response rate). Medical students demonstrated overall positive attitudes towards psychedelics, lack of knowledge regarding psychedelics, and uncertainty towards neurocognitive risks of psychedelics. Overall, 78.6% of students agreed that psychedelics have therapeutic potential, while 95.2% agreed that psychedelics deserves further research in assessing this potential. Additionally, there was no statistically significant effect of demographic variables, including age, sex, and level of training, on attitudes.

Discussion

Although students are overall curious and optimistic about psychedelics, they demonstrate a lack of knowledge regarding recent research efforts. As the field of psychiatry prepares to implement psychedelics and psychedelic-assisted therapies, education and awareness of such agents should be initiated early on in medical clinical training.

Psychedelics and workplace harm

This study aims to understand the relationship between Lifetime Classic Psychedelic Use (LCPU), employment status, and weekly work hours on levels of psychological distress. The data used for this analysis is pooled from the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) from 2008-2019 and includes a sample size of 484,732 individuals. The findings suggest that LCPU and being employed are independently associated with better health. Additionally, the results indicate that psychedelic use is associated with lower distress for those who are employed, volunteer, retired, or permanently disabled. However, those who are unemployed, full-time students, or homemakers may experience higher levels of distress with psychedelic use. Interestingly, the analysis also suggests that those who use psychedelics are working longer hours per week before experiencing an increase in stress. Overall, the study suggests that psychedelics are not likely to have a negative impact on employment outcomes.

Validation of a new instrument for assessing attitudes on psychedelics in the general population

Although there is research interest to assess attitudes on psychedelics, no validated instrument exists for this purpose. We aimed to develop and examine the psychometric properties of the Attitudes on Psychedelics Questionnaire (APQ) in a sample of the Croatian general population. A cross-sectional, web-based survey among the general population was conducted on 1153 participants (62.1% female, 77.7% with a graduate or high school degree, 15.1% health care workers). We assessed participants' ability to recognize psychedelic substances using a short knowledge test. The APQ consists of 20 items with four sub-scales: Legal Use of Psychedelics, Effects of Psychedelics, Risk Assessment of Psychedelics, and Openness to Psychedelics. This model demonstrated best fit in a confirmatory factor analysis. Total scale reliability was excellent (McDonald's ω = 0.949, 95% CI = 0.944-0.953). A strong correlation with a similar unvalidated measure (r = 0.885, P < 0.001) demonstrated convergent validity. We observed an association between attitudes and knowledge on psychedelics (r = 0.494, P < 0.001). Younger age, male gender, and lower educational status were associated with higher APQ scores. The APQ is valid, reliable, and could be applied in assessing educational interventions, patients' treatment outcomes, and the attitudes of different groups of experts. We encourage further validation of the APQ in English.