Title & Introduction

  • Paper Title: Treatment and Therapy of Mental Health Conditions in the Global South Using Psychedelics: A Scoping Review and Narrative Synthesis
  • Published In: Journal of Psychedelic Studies
  • Publish Date: June 21, 2024
  • Authors: Caroline Griffin, Alec Knight
  • Objective: To review research on the use of psychedelics for mental health treatment in the Global South (GS), where indigenous and traditional psychedelic practices differ from Western biomedical models.
  • Importance: Most psychedelic research has been conducted in the Global North (GN), often overlooking the cultural, economic, and social contexts of psychedelic use in the GS. This review synthesizes findings from GS studies to inform future research and policy.

Summary & Takeaways

Key Takeaway: Psychedelic-assisted therapy in the GS has shown promising safety and efficacy for conditions like depression, PTSD, substance use disorder (SUD), and anxiety. No serious adverse events were reported, and treatments were generally well tolerated.

Practical Application: Policymakers and researchers should consider the cultural and therapeutic contexts of traditional psychedelic use when developing treatment frameworks for mental health conditions.

Key Background Information

  • Context: Traditional psychedelic use has a long history in the GS, where substances like ayahuasca, iboga, psilocybin, and 5-MeO-DMT have been used in healing ceremonies.
  • Hypothesis: Psychedelic treatments in the GS would demonstrate feasibility, efficacy, and safety, while reflecting cultural differences in treatment approaches.

Methodology

  • Study Design: Systematic scoping review of research on psychedelic-assisted therapy in the GS.
  • Participants: 984 individuals across 27 studies.
  • Intervention/Exposure: Studies examined treatments using ayahuasca, iboga, 5-MeO-DMT, psilocybin, and MDMA for various mental health conditions.
  • Controls: No direct control groups; studies varied in methodology (RCTs, qualitative research, observational studies).
  • Duration: Research spanning 2010 to July 2023.

Key Findings

Primary Outcomes:

  • Positive results for ayahuasca in treating depression, anxiety, grief, and substance use disorder (SUD).
  • Iboga and ibogaine were effective in opioid and drug detoxification, reducing withdrawal symptoms and cravings.
  • 5-MeO-DMT combined with iboga showed potential for treating PTSD and alcohol misuse.
  • Psilocybin demonstrated long-term OCD symptom reduction in a case study.
  • MDMA-assisted therapy improved PTSD symptoms in survivors of sexual abuse.

Secondary Outcomes:

  • No serious adverse events were reported, though mild, transient side effects (nausea, dizziness) were common.
  • Cultural differences in psychedelic therapy approaches were observed, with indigenous practices emphasizing community and spiritual aspects.
  • Psychedelics were seen as cost-effective treatments in the GS, where access to mental healthcare is often limited.

Interpretation & Implications

  • Conclusion: Psychedelics offer a promising treatment approach for mental health conditions in the GS, but more rigorous clinical trials are needed to confirm efficacy.
  • Implications: Future research should integrate indigenous healing practices with biomedical models while ensuring ethical and sustainable sourcing of psychedelic substances.
  • Limitations: Many studies had small sample sizes, lacked control groups, and varied in methodological rigor. The research was limited to English-language studies.

Researchers & Publication

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