The British Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) has approved ketamine-based drugs for the treatment of depression in clinical settings, while calling for more active research into other psychedelic drugs, writes UNN with reference to The Independent.
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Experts believe the development of new mental health treatments is "vital" but cautioned against claims about psychedelics that "outpace the facts," stressing that "hype" should not "take precedence over proper clinical practice."
In a new statement, RCPsych outlined its position on psychedelics and related substances for medical use, including pharmacological versions of hallucinogens, ketamine, and methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA).
The College emphasized that ketamine is "the most studied agent for rapid relief of depression symptoms, whose effectiveness has been proven, including in large randomized controlled trials."
Thousands of patients have participated in studies on the effects of ketamine on depression.
In addition, current and completed studies are investigating its effects on people with obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and alcohol or cocaine abuse.
A drug derived from ketamine, a nasal spray known as esketamine, is licensed in the UK for the treatment of treatment-resistant depression.
RCPsych stated that it "recommends the use of ketamine in specialized settings under proper control and long-term supervision."
However, the statement added that while early clinical trials of other psychedelics have been "encouraging," there are "concerns about the difficulties of conducting adequately blinded studies, as well as about side effects and the persistence of observed therapeutic effects over time."
"These factors, combined with questions of validity among clinical groups, mean that the current evidence base is limited, and their use in routine clinical practice outside licensed facilities is not recommended," the college said.
Professor Oliver Ghaus, chair of the psychopharmacology committee of the British Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych), said: "New treatments for mental illnesses and disorders are developed very rarely… it is vital that this trend changes."
"Over the past 10 years, we have done some work: on average, only one new treatment for mental disorders is licensed and becomes available for our patients, while in neurology there are four times as many such treatments, and in oncology - more than ten times. Thus, there is a real gap here," he pointed out.