Almost 45% Would Consider Psychedelics To Treat Mental Health Disorders

Australia has made history by becoming the world’s first country to legalize the use of psychedelics for treating certain mental health conditions.

Approved psychiatrists can now prescribe MDMA to individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and mushrooms for certain forms of hard-to-treat depression.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in Australia has added both MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine) and psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, to the list of approved medicines for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy to address specific mental health conditions. This decision has been met with mixed reactions from scientists and mental health experts within society.

While many view this move as a potential game-changer, some argue that it may have been rushed and should be treated with caution. However, the broader question remains whether other countries will follow suit and adopt similar measures, and if so, what potential risks could emerge as a result.

To get a broader understanding of this issue and find answers to these questions, Real Research, an online survey app, launched a survey on Australia legalizing psychedelics for mental health treatment. Respondents from across the globe participated in this survey and provided various insights regarding Australia legalizing psychedelics.

Let’s take a closer look at what the respondents opined below.

• 44.78% are open to trying psychedelic drugs for mental health treatments
• Five in ten people are confident in the effectiveness of these drugs on mental health patients
• Nearly 45% confessed that they would consider trying these drugs

Legalizing the Prohibited

Many were taken aback by Australia’s decision earlier this year to permit the use of psychedelic drugs for therapy starting on July 1, 2023. It marks a significant change, as the TGA had previously rejected the use of psychedelic drugs as recently as December 2021. Contextually, when this survey asked its respondents about their knowledge of this move, a whopping 60.34% claimed that they were aware of Australia legalizing psychedelics, while 39.66% confessed that they didn’t know anything about it.

Among the prescribed drugs, MDMA, a synthetic hallucinogen often associated with rave parties and known as “molly” or “ecstasy,” will be utilized to treat PTSD patients. It aids in reducing fear responses to traumatic memories, enabling patients to process them more effectively. On the other hand, the psychedelic component in magic mushrooms helps to open up the minds of individuals struggling with depression and makes them less entrenched in negative thinking patterns. The respondents were asked for their opinions on the effectiveness of these psychedelic drugs in addressing mental health concerns.

Also Read: Mental Health Issues and Mental Illness

As depicted in Fig. 1, a significant majority (50.72%) expressed strong confidence in the effectiveness of these psychedelic drugs in treating mental illnesses, while 35.38% were somewhat confident about it. Despite the majority showing a positive outlook, there were some skeptics who remained unconvinced about the drugs’ effectiveness. Specifically, 11.52% stated that they weren’t very confident in the drugs’ efficacy, followed by 2.38% who exhibited extreme pessimism towards the same.

Under Strict Observation

Australia’s TGA declared that these psychedelic drugs are “relatively safe” when used in a “medically-controlled environment” for patients “with serious mental health conditions.” Moreover, speaking on this topic, a mental health researcher clarified that “the use of psychedelics would be carefully monitored and would not be a case of “take a pill and go away.” When the respondents were asked how they felt about this move, there was a clear division between the supporters and the opponents.

With 42.78% supporting and 42.54% strongly supporting the move, a hefty 85.32% of supporters stood for the initiative, leaving 14.68% of opponents behind, out of which 12.3% somewhat opposed the decision and 2.38% expressed their strong opposition against Australia legalizing psychedelics.

While discussing Australia’s legalization of psychedelics, a psychiatrist from Harvard Medical School commented, “Australia is creating an interesting model that could pave the way forward for the rest of the world.” As the surveyed respondents were from all parts of the world, they were asked if Australia’s move would influence other countries to adopt the same policy, to which 48.48% predicted that it probably would.

Read Also: 30.75% Are Willing to Seek Professional Help to Manage Stress

Regarding the influence of legalizing these psychedelic drugs, which are otherwise illegal in Australia and most other countries, 27.1% of respondents opined that it will definitely influence other countries. Followed by 20.92%, who argued that this move will probably not influence other countries. Lastly, a tiny percentage of the sample, 3.5% to be precise, asserted that it would definitely not influence others.

Pricing, Perception, Pitfalls, and More…

Reportedly, these psychedelic drugs will be expensive in Australia, costing around $6,600 USD per patient for treatment. The survey asked respondents about their opinion on the pricing of these drugs compared to other available mental health treatments. The respondents’ reactions were mixed, as highlighted in Fig. 2. The majority of people (30.66%) expressed concern that the pricing is disproportionately high compared to other treatments, while 25.66% clarified that despite the high cost, it reflects the unique nature and potential benefits of the drugs. 22.52% considered the pricing reasonable, given its specialized nature and potential effectiveness, while 21.16% acknowledged that the pricing is lower than expected for such innovative and specialized treatments.

Since the consumption of drugs has been prohibited in most parts of the world and has been frowned upon by society for so long, this move has also received some backlash and controversy. Keeping this in mind, the participants were asked how the public perception of psychedelic drugs would change as a result of this move, and people had mixed opinions towards this.

While 34.96% were of the opinion that it would become more negative and stigmatized, 34.02% claimed that it would become more positive and accepting. Dwelling in between these two extreme predictions were 31.02%, who thought it would remain largely the same.

Impact or Inspire?

Moving on, when the critics stated that the move has been too hasty and should not be over-hyped, 40.05% resonated with that by pointing out that the lack of sufficient research or long-term effects unknown might prove to be a major drawback of this initiative.

This was followed by 34.06%, who reckoned that an increased risk of misuse or addiction might pose a risk of legalizing psychedelic drugs for mental illness.

As Fig. 3 suggests, there were some 15.78% of respondents who opined that this move might have a potential negative impact on the mental health conditions of the patients, along with 8.54% who insisted that there might be cultural or moral concerns as a result of Australia legalizing clinical prescribing of psychedelic substances.

On the other hand, there was a small portion of the sample, precisely 1.56%, who noted that they didn’t see any drawbacks of this move.

While Australia is the first country in the world to regulate psychedelic drugs as medications, clinical trials are also underway in the US, Canada, and Israel. Shedding light on this aspect, the respondents were asked if this move will impact the field of mental health treatment in general.

Surprisingly, most of the participants, or about 26.2%, think that it will have a negative impact on the sector, closely followed by 21.02%, who were of the contrasting belief that it will have a moderate impact. 18.58% argued that it will revolutionize mental health treatment, along with another 17.2% who foresaw that it will have a significant positive impact. Meanwhile, 17% held on to the opinion that it would have a limited or negligible impact.

Additionally, there were 38.52% who confessed that they think legalizing psychedelic drugs for treating mental health concerns will lead to some instances of drug misuse. 26.94% contradicted that by saying that misuse is unlikely, especially since the drugs will be monitored and prescribed by authorized psychiatrists only.

Meanwhile, 23.04% resonated with the majority and stated that there is a high risk of misuse despite the scrutiny. Lastly, 11.5% concluded that the regulations would prevent misuse.

In the concluding question of the survey, respondents were asked if they were open to considering psychedelic drugs as a potential treatment option for their mental health disorders, to which 79.82% agreed. Out of this, 44.78% said they would consider it under certain circumstances, and 35.08% were open to exploring all available options.

Of the remaining, 12.96% were hesitant or skeptical to try out these options, while 7.18% clearly voiced their disagreement by stating that “I am not open to the idea!”