https://www.facebook.com/BoldTV/videos/732393167121293/
What is microdosing?
“This is a procedure where people are taking very very small doses of psychadelic drugs – things like LSD, and mushrooms – and it is really early on. It is not yet in the phase of clinical trials. It is experimental, underground and an illegal procedure – so it is certainly not something as a clinical psychologist, that I would recommend. But I think within the last six weeks or so they have just started doing clinical trials. We are starting to ask ‘can we use what would otherwise be considered drugs of abuse to treat things like depression?'”
How advisable is this new study, would you say?
“Me as a therapist, I am not prescribing medications, but I will often work with providers. What we know from research is that a combination of psychotherapy plus medication can be really helpful. These early trials – with things like ketamine for instance – it’s not the magic cure for depression. What they are doing is administering doses to people who are acutely depressed, and finding that they are getting some relief. Ideally, we can assess whether there is abuse potential or if it is safe.”
Can it lead to addiction?
“Absolutely. One of the issues we face is just by the very nature of these clinical trials we have to look at samples of people with say, PTSD. But if we look at the data, we know that as many as one in five people with PTSD also have co-morbid substance abuse issues. Should we be giving these drugs of abuse to people? How it it going to be regulated and controlled? These are important questions to ask. How can we best address these issues? Traditional methods may not work so effectively. SSRIs maybe work for 30 percent of people. There are populations that are being missed.”
What is cognitive therapy?
“Cognitive therapy has been around since the 1960s and this is a practice that has been shown time and again to work. It has been effective at helping with things like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder – you name it. It works for people. The premise is we want to help people think differently, and then you can start to feel better. It is about changing what you think and that will change what you feel and do. The evidence shows that doing this type of work can be incredibly effective at changing people’s lives.”
Have something to add to this story? Comment below or join the discussion on Facebook.
Header image: ShutterStock
