The following is a summary of “Attitudes of European psychiatrists on psychedelics: a qualitative study,” published in the May 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Žuljević et al.

Mental health practitioners are optimistic about a new advancement called psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP), as it might become part of mental health care.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to understand how psychiatrists who are not involved in psychedelic studies think about psychedelics and PAP.

They interviewed 12 psychiatrists and trainees from 8 European countries through online semi-structured methods. The data was analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s general inductive framework approach, which was informed by thematic analysis. This approach is best described as codebook thematic analysis. 

The results showed psychiatrists were asked questions like, how do European psychiatrists perceive psychedelics and PAP? What do psychiatrists see as facilitators or barriers to research on this topic? What are the implications of psychedelic research? From the interview, four big themes, along with 14 sub-themes, emerged. Included ideas like psychedelics hold potential, psychedelics might be risky, the future of psychedelics is uncertain, and psychiatry has mixed feelings (ambivalent) about psychedelics. 

Investigators concluded that while psychiatrists recognized the potential of PAP, they were still careful as they didn’t see enough evidence. Suggested improving education on psychedelics in medical training for better involvement in PAP decisions.

Source: frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1411234/full