Australia this Saturday becomes one of the first countries in the world to allow ecstasy and hallucinogenic mushrooms for medical purposes, hoping to combat certain mental pathologies.
From July 1, psychiatrists will be able to prescribe these substances, known as MDMA and psilocybin, to treat post-traumatic stress states and certain forms of depression, according to a decision passed in February by the Australian drug oversight agency.
Canada and some US states have allowed the medical use of psilocybin and/or MDMA, but only under clinical trials or special authorizations.
Australia will reclassify these substances, following trials by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), rating them as “relatively safe” when used “in a controlled medical setting”.
Proponents of this decision hope that these substances can make decisive progress in the treatment of certain mental disorders.
Mike Musker, a mental health and suicide prevention researcher at the University of South Australia, told the AFP news agency that MDMA may be useful to treat post-traumatic stress, while psilocybin may help fight depression.
In his statements, he explained that MDMA gives patients “a sense of belonging” that allows them to connect with the therapist and discuss their traumatic experiences.
The “psycho-spiritual effect” of psilocybin, “which you don’t get with traditional medicine,” he said, “can change your perception of yourself and your life (…) and with luck, it can change your desire to to live”.
Musker doubts that these drugs will be “widely used” by patients before 2024, stating that the process is not “taking a pill and disappearing into nature.”
Ecstasy, for example, is likely to require three treatments over a period of five to eight weeks, with each session lasting about eight hours.
He also specified that the therapists would stay with patients while they were under the influence of the drug and during sessions that could cost about AUD 1,000 each.
Dr. David Caldicott, a consultant in emergency medicine and a clinical compound researcher at the Australian National University of Canberra, told AFP the decision gives Australia an advantage in exploring the medical benefits of the drugs.
However, Susan Rossel, a cognitive neuropsychologist at the University of Swinburne, said that while these treatments “have potential”, Australia is “five years short”.
“For other types of disease, be it cardiovascular disease or cancer, it is impossible to bring a drug to market as quickly as it has in this case,” he told AFP.
“There are no drugs on the market that haven’t been the subject of phase three and phase four clinical trials — and that’s what we’re doing here.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health told AFP the decision “takes into account that the evidence regarding the use of these substances in the treatment of mental illness has not yet been fully established”.
“The benefits for certain patients (…) outweigh the risks, and there is currently a lack of options for treatment-resistant patients suffering from specific mental illnesses.”
“I think it is necessary to warn the patient before participating in the program [as ‘bad trips’ (más viagens)] are a possible side effect,” Musker pointed out.
Source: DN
