Formulary Coverage of Esketamine and Ketamine for Depression in Ohio Health Insurance Marketplace and Medicaid Plans.

For more than 2 decades, intravenous ketamine has been demonstrated to have rapid antidepressant effects. However, access to this generic drug is limited due to insurers claiming it is "experimental" because ketamine does not have a Food and Drug Administration indication for depression. In contrast, intranasal esketamine, an enantiomer of ketamine, is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for depression and is still under patent. The goal of this column is to provide a clearer understanding of formulary coverage of these similar medications by insurers. Formularies of all 2023 Ohio Health Insurance Marketplace and Medicaid plans were reviewed to determine the inclusion status of intravenous ketamine and intranasal esketamine for depression. This review found that intravenous ketamine was not covered by any Marketplace or Medicaid plan for depression, while intranasal esketamine was on 72.7% and 100% of formularies, respectively. Thus, members of the analyzed insurance plans can more easily access intranasal esketamine than intravenous ketamine for depression, despite the latter being more cost-effective and possibly more efficacious.

Phencyclidine Positivity on Urine Drug Screening in Patients Treated for Alcohol Withdrawal on a Dual-diagnosis Medically Assisted Withdrawal Unit.

OBJECTIVES: Little contemporary research has explored phencyclidine (PCP) use in people with alcohol use disorder. Therefore, we sought to determine the prevalence of PCP positivity on urine toxicology screening among patients admitted for alcohol withdrawal, identify correlates of PCP positivity, and investigate PCP positivity's relationship to length of stay (LOS) and risk of facility readmission. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of patients admitted to a dual-diagnosis medically assisted withdrawal unit for alcohol withdrawal from 2014 to 2019. Univariate tests and logistic regression were used to investigate potential correlates of PCP positivity on admission toxicology screening (primary outcome). Multivariable linear regression models and survival analyses analyzing LOS and risk of readmission (secondary outcomes) were also developed. RESULTS: Ninety of 3731 patients (2.4%) screened positive for PCP. There were significant associations on univariate testing between PCP positivity and age, race, homeless status, and urine toxicology positivity for amphetamines, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, cocaine, tetrahydrocannabinol, and oxycodone. On multivariate logistic regression, only tetrahydrocannabinol, barbiturates, and cocaine positivity were associated with PCP positivity. Multivariate logistic regression and survival analysis found no statistically significant associations between PCP positivity and LOS or risk of readmission. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides rare analysis of contemporary data on PCP use among patients undergoing medically assisted alcohol withdrawal. Phencyclidine positivity was uncommon, but use appears considerably higher among this patient population than the general population. There was no significant association between PCP positivity and LOS or readmission risk.

Race, economic status, and disparities in the receipt of benzodiazepine prescriptions in a large primary care sample.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between race, economic status, and patient characteristics with benzodiazepine prescribing in an urban and suburban primary care context. METHOD: This retrospective study used data from a previously described cohort of patients seen in a large Ohio healthcare system's primary care clinics from 2019 to 2020. Associations and interactions between race, economic status (using median income of patient ZIP code as a proxy), patient characteristics, and prescription of benzodiazepines were assessed using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: 455,537 patients had 1,643,473 primary care visits, and 5.8% of patients were prescribed a benzodiazepine. White patients were prescribed benzodiazepines more often than Multiracial/Multicultural, African American and Asian American patients (6.5%, 3.8%, 2.7% and 2.0% respectively). Patients from lower income ZIP codes were less likely to receive a prescription. Interaction effects were observed between race, patient economic status, gender, insurance status, and diagnoses (general anxiety disorder, insomnia, and panic disorder). The largest prescribing disparities by race were among patients with these three diagnoses. The largest disparity in prescription by income was seen in African American patients. CONCLUSION: African American, Multicultural/Multiracial and Asian American patients were less likely than White patients to receive benzodiazepine prescriptions. Middle and lower-income patients are particularly susceptible to this prescribing disparity.

Prescribing of Z-Drugs With and Without Opioid Coprescribing to Primary Care Patients in a Large Health Care System From 2019-2020.

Objective: This study aimed to characterize Z-drug prescribing with and without opioid coprescribing pre- and post-COVID-19 lockdown in the primary care clinics of a large health care system.Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted that measured the prevalence of Z-drug prescribing with and without opioids for adults aged ≥ 18 years that were seen in the primary care clinics of a large health care system in 2019 and 2020. The pre-COVID time period was defined as March 24, 2019-December 31, 2019, and the post-lockdown time period was defined as March 24, 2020-December 31, 2020.Results: Among 455,537 adult patients, 6,743 (1.48%) were prescribed a Z-drug during the study period. In addition, 1,064 (0.2%) were coprescribed a Z-drug and an opioid at least once, constituting 15.78% of patients receiving a Z-drug prescription. There was no change in the rate of Z-drug prescription post-lockdown (odds ratio [OR] = 0.978, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.942-1.010, P = .233), though odds of coprescribing decreased (OR = 0.883, 95% CI = 0.789-0.988, P = .031). Important correlates of receiving a Z-drug prescription during the study period were older age, White race, and diagnosis of opioid use disorder. Older age and a diagnosis of opioid use disorder were also associated with coprescribing. Receiving a de novo Z-drug prescription post-lockdown was associated with increased age, White race, and diagnosis of bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and insomnia.Conclusions: Rates of Z-drug prescribing were unchanged post-lockdown, while rates of Z-drug with opioid coprescribing decreased. Some patient populations vulnerable to Z-drug adverse effects were at heightened risk of Z-drug prescription, while racial disparities in Z-drug prescribing were observed.

Three Cases of Reported Improvement in Microsmia and Anosmia Following Naturalistic Use of Psilocybin and LSD.

Cultural awareness of anosmia and microsmia has recently increased due to their association with COVID-19, though treatment for these conditions is limited. A growing body of online media claims that individuals have noticed improvement in anosmia and microsmia following classic psychedelic use. We report what we believe to be the first three cases recorded in the academic literature of improvement in olfactory impairment after psychedelic use. In the first case, a man who developed microsmia after a respiratory infection experienced improvement in smell after the use of 6 g of psilocybin containing mushrooms. In the second case, a woman with anosmia since childhood reported olfactory improvement after ingestion of 100 µg of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). In the third case, a woman with COVID-19-related anosmia reported olfactory improvement after microdosing 0.1 g of psilocybin mushrooms three times. Following a discussion of these cases, we explore potential mechanisms for psychedelic-facilitated improvement in olfactory impairment, including serotonergic effects, increased neuroplasticity, and anti-inflammatory effects. Given the need for novel treatments for olfactory dysfunction, increasing reports describing improvement in these conditions following psychedelic use and potential biological plausibility, we believe that the possible therapeutic benefits of psychedelics for these conditions deserve further investigation.

Methamphetamine-associated catatonia: Case series and systematic review of the literature from 1943-2020.

BACKGROUND: Catatonia due to a general medical condition may result from a variety of causes, including substance intoxication and withdrawal. Stimulants are occasionally associated with catatonia, though there has been little investigation of methamphetamine's relationship to catatonia. Here we present 5 cases of catatonia associated with methamphetamine use and a systematic review of the associated literature from 1943 to 2020. METHODS: We performed a systematic review of the literature and present 5 cases of catatonia evaluated using the Bush-Francis Catatonia Rating Scale and KANNER catatonia rating scale. RESULTS: Methamphetamine use was associated with catatonia in a small number of cases in the literature. However, some of these reports included other possible etiologies. The patients in our case series met DSM-5 criteria for catatonia due to a general medical condition, with all reporting recent methamphetamine use and testing positive for amphetamines on urine drug screen. CONCLUSIONS: Given the ongoing rise in methamphetamine use in the United States, it is important that clinicians understand that methamphetamine use can be associated with catatonia. Patients with methamphetamine-associated catatonia may respond favorably to lorazepam and require shorter hospital stays than other catatonic patients. Lastly, methamphetamine-associated catatonia highlights how alteration in dopamine function and projections may be a critical neural mechanism underlying catatonia in general.

Ketamine versus ECT for Nonpsychotic Treatment-Resistant Major Depression.

BACKGROUND: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and subanesthetic intravenous ketamine are both currently used for treatment-resistant major depression, but the comparative effectiveness of the two treatments remains uncertain. METHODS: We conducted an open-label, randomized, noninferiority trial involving patients referred to ECT clinics for treatment-resistant major depression. Patients with treatment-resistant major depression without psychosis were recruited and assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive ketamine or ECT. During an initial 3-week treatment phase, patients received either ECT three times per week or ketamine (0.5 mg per kilogram of body weight over 40 minutes) twice per week. The primary outcome was a response to treatment (i.e., a decrease of ≥50% from baseline in the score on the 16-item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self-Report; scores range from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating greater depression). The noninferiority margin was -10 percentage points. Secondary outcomes included scores on memory tests and patient-reported quality of life. After the initial treatment phase, the patients who had a response were followed over a 6-month period. RESULTS: A total of 403 patients underwent randomization at five clinical sites; 200 patients were assigned to the ketamine group and 203 to the ECT group. After 38 patients had withdrawn before initiation of the assigned treatment, ketamine was administered to 195 patients and ECT to 170 patients. A total of 55.4% of the patients in the ketamine group and 41.2% of those in the ECT group had a response (difference, 14.2 percentage points; 95% confidence interval, 3.9 to 24.2; P<0.001 for the noninferiority of ketamine to ECT). ECT appeared to be associated with a decrease in memory recall after 3 weeks of treatment (mean [±SE] decrease in the T-score for delayed recall on the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised, -0.9±1.1 in the ketamine group vs. -9.7±1.2 in the ECT group; scores range from -300 to 200, with higher scores indicating better function) with gradual recovery during follow-up. Improvement in patient-reported quality-of-life was similar in the two trial groups. ECT was associated with musculoskeletal adverse effects, whereas ketamine was associated with dissociation. CONCLUSIONS: Ketamine was noninferior to ECT as therapy for treatment-resistant major depression without psychosis. (Funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute; ELEKT-D ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03113968.).

An Analysis of Benzodiazepine Prescribing to Primary Care Patients in a Large Healthcare System from 2019-2020.

We sought to quantify benzodiazepine prescribing by primary care providers from 2019 to 2020 and identify correlates of prescribing. We hypothesized prescribing would increase post-COVID-19 lockdown. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adult patients with primary care visits in 2019 or 2020 in a large Ohio healthcare system. Demographics, diagnosis codes, and receipt of benzodiazepine prescriptions were collected. Using multivariable logistic regression, we examined factors associated with benzodiazepine prescription receipt during the whole study period and post-lockdown. 455,537 adult patients had 1,643,473 visits. Benzodiazepines were prescribed in 3.2% (53,049/1,643,473) of visits. Effect sizes for positive associations with benzodiazepine prescription were largest for anxiety disorders. For negative associations, they were largest for Black patients and patients with cocaine use disorder. Benzodiazepine prescribing was positively associated with multiple groups having contraindications, though effect sizes were small. Contrary to our hypothesis, odds of receiving a prescription were 8.8% lower post-lockdown. Benzodiazepine prescribing rates in our system compared favorably to national rates. Year over year odds of receiving a prescription were slightly lower post-lockdown. Racial disparities were present and deserve further study. Strategies to reduce benzodiazepine prescribing to patients with anxiety may yield the largest reductions for benzodiazepine prescribing in primary care settings.

Catatonia and Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome in Patients With Cerebral Palsy: Two Case Reports and a Systematic Review of the Literature.

BACKGROUND: Patients with cerebral palsy, a group of movement disorders with motor, and possibly communication and behavioral features that mimic catatonic signs, may benefit from efforts to improve the detection and treatment of comorbid catatonia. Given that cerebral palsy frequently co-occurs with conditions associated with catatonia, such as autism spectrum disorder, epilepsy, intellectual disability, and mood and psychotic disorders, lifetime prevalence of catatonia in this population may be high. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to systematically review the literature on catatonia and the related condition of neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) in patients with cerebral palsy while presenting 2 additional cases of catatonia. METHODS: We used the terms "cerebral palsy" in combination with "catatoni∗," related terms for catatonia, and "neuroleptic malignant syndrome" to query Ovid MEDLINE (1948 to November 28, 2022), PsycINFO, Cumulative Index to Nursing, and Allied Health Literature, and Embase for applicable case reports. The Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome Information Service database was also manually searched. RESULTS: In addition to our 2 catatonia reports, we identified 10 reports of catatonia in patients with cerebral palsy, as well as 8 reports of NMS. Patients with both conditions responded well, and sometimes rapidly, to treatment. Notably, of the 5 patients with catatonia and cerebral palsy who received electroconvulsive therapy, 2 developed recurrent self-limited hyperthermia posttreatment. We also identified several cases of baclofen withdrawal, which can be life threatening because of seizure risk, presenting with NMS-like features in patients with cerebral palsy who had malfunctioning intrathecal baclofen pumps for spasticity management. CONCLUSIONS: Given frequent comorbidity of conditions associated with catatonia in patients with cerebral palsy, as well as routine treatment with medications that can induce NMS, such as metoclopramide and anticholinergics, catatonia and NMS may be underreported in the cerebral palsy patient population, despite being highly treatable. Possible underdiagnosis of catatonia in patients with cerebral palsy may be because of misattribution of overlapping features between the 2 conditions to cerebral palsy. Clinicians should be aware of possible recurrent self-limited fever when using electroconvulsive therapy to treat patients with catatonia and cerebral palsy while also being vigilant for intrathecal baclofen withdrawal when encountering NMS-like features in patients with cerebral palsy.

Bibliometric Analysis of Academic Journal Articles Reporting Results of Psychedelic Clinical Studies.

Following a decades long period of investigational dormancy, there is renewed interest in employing psychedelics as psychiatric treatments. The academic journals, institutions, and countries that have helped sustain clinical psychedelic research and the evolution of the literature on clinical studies of psychedelics have only recently begun to be investigated. To expand upon this work, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of clinical studies of 5-methoxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT), ayahuasca, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), ibogaine, mescaline, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and psilocybin published from 1965-2021. Our search revealed 394 relevant articles. After a lull from the 1970s-1990s, publications in this area have resurged. Studies most frequently focused on MDMA (49%), LSD (19%), psilocybin (18%), and ayahuasca (7%). A subanalysis of studies from 1965 to 2009 ("Older cohort") compared to 2010-2021 ("Recent cohort") revealed that the Recent cohort had a higher proportion of studies investigating psychedelics' therapeutic applications and a lower proportion of studies investigating the effects of psychedelics on people using them in non-research settings. Compared to the Older cohort, psilocybin studies increased proportionally in the Recent cohort, while DMT and mescaline studies decreased. Network analyses of inter-country collaborations suggested that psychedelic researchers in the United Kingdom have the most diverse international collaborations.

The State of the Catatonia Literature: Employing Bibliometric Analysis of Articles From 1965-2020 to Identify Current Research Gaps.

BACKGROUND: Since Kahlbaum's classic 19th-century description of catatonia, our conceptualization of this syndrome, as well treatment options for it, has advanced considerably. However, little is known about the current state of the catatonia literature since a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of it has not yet been undertaken. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to conduct a bibliometric analysis, along with a content analysis of articles reporting new findings, to better understand the catatonia literature and how catatonia research is changing. METHODS: Using the search term "Title(catatoni∗)" in Web of Science Core Collection for all available years (1965-2020), all available publications (articles, proceeding papers, reviews) pertaining directly to catatonia were identified, and metadata extracted. Semantic and coauthorship network analyses were conducted. A content analysis was also conducted on all available case reports, case series, and research articles written in English. RESULTS: A total of 1015 articles were identified representing 2861 authors, 346 journals, and 15,639 references. The average number of publications per year over the last 20 years (31.3) more than doubled in comparison to that in the 20 years prior (12.8). The top 3 most common journals were Psychosomatics/Journal of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, Journal of ECT, and Schizophrenia Research, which represented 12.6% of all publications. Content analysis revealed that catatonia articles are increasingly published in nonpsychiatric journals. There was a notable paucity of clinical trials throughout the study period. Since 2003, articles on catatonia secondary to a general medical condition, as well as articles including child/adolescent patients and patients with autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disability, have made up increasing shares of the literature, with a smaller proportion of articles reporting periodic or recurrent catatonia. We noted a decrease in the proportion of articles detailing animal/in vitro studies, genetic/heredity studies, and clinical trials, along with stagnation in the proportion of neuroimaging studies. CONCLUSIONS: The catatonia literature is growing through contributions from authors and institutions across multiple countries. However, recent growth has largely been driven by increased case reports, with significant downturns observed in both clinical and basic science research articles. A dearth of clinical trials evaluating potential treatments remain a critical gap in the catatonia literature.

Black Pepper (Piper nigrum) for Tobacco Withdrawal: A Case Report.

Tobacco use continues to be one of humanity's most significant public health concerns, causing more than 8-million deaths annually. Existing treatments for tobacco use disorder are limited in efficacy and there is a strong need for identifying effective novel treatments. Small clinical trials indicate that black pepper (Piper nigrum) essential oil may be helpful for treating nicotine withdrawal and craving. However, we are unaware of any cases reporting the use of black pepper for these purposes in nonresearch settings. Here we present the case of a patient who inhaled combusted black pepper to self-medicate nicotine withdrawal when lacking access to tobacco cigarettes while incarcerated. Based on our patient's report, inhalation of combusted black pepper may have alleviated his tobacco withdrawal and cravings by reducing his automatic motor urge to smoke, quelling withdrawal-associated anxiety, and mimicking the sensorimotor experience of smoking tobacco cigarettes. Notably, our patient reported that inhalation of combusted black pepper for treatment of nicotine craving and withdrawal was common in his correctional facility. Though combusted black pepper is highly unlikely to be an appealing treatment outside of a correctional setting, this case suggests that further investigation of vaporized black pepper essential oil for tobacco cessation may be warranted.

Treatment of Misophonia with Risperidone in a Patient with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

We report the case of a 32-year-old male with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) suffering from severe misophonia. After titrating risperidone to 2 mg twice a day, the patient reported a significant reduction in his symptoms and his Amsterdam misophonia scale-revised (AMISOS-R) score dropped by from 31 to 5. Upon discharge, the patient was noted to have decreased irritability and overall improved behavior and effect. This significant symptomatic improvement was likely not explained by inpatient admission alone or other simultaneous pharmacologic treatments, as the effect was seen during an isolated titration of risperidone with other treatments remaining constant. Although, unfortunately, follow-up findings indicated that the treatment was not curative for the patient, risperidone's potential for treating misophonia may warrant systematic investigation.

Deepening our understanding of psychedelics by expanding psychedelic data collection in the United States National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Amid a reappraisal of the medicinal and societal worth of psychedelics in many countries, regulatory and financial barriers to conducting clinical research with these compounds appear to be receding. Still, there remains a strong need for a clearer understanding of naturalistic psychedelic use and its associated epidemiology, since this type of psychedelic use, which is growing in many places, will almost certainly always exceed clinical use. Furthermore, psychedelics behave differently depending on the settings in which they are used, meaning many research findings on their effects may significantly differ depending on the contexts in which they are observed. Therefore, improving the collection of data on real-world psychedelic use should be of higher priority for the public health community. Expanding data collection on psychedelic use in the United States National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an already vital tool for researchers examining naturalistic psychedelic use, could address this important public health need, helping ensure the general public, the scientific community, and regulators have access to high-quality information as peoples across the world reevaluate what psychedelics' place in medicine and society should be.

Is psychedelic use associated with cancer?: Interrogating a half-century-old claim using contemporary population-level data.

BACKGROUND: In 1967, concerns about the carcinogenic potential of psychedelics arose after a study reported chromosomal damage in human leukocytes following in vitro lysergic acid (LSD) exposure. Worries were further heightened by subsequent reports of leukemia and other cancers in LSD users. Additional investigations of psychedelics' effects on chromosomes were published over the next decade, with the majority suggesting these concerns were unfounded. However, the relationship between psychedelics and cancer has been explored only minimally from an epidemiological perspective. AIMS: To determine whether associations exist between psychedelic use and either lifetime cancer or hematologic cancer diagnoses. METHODS: We analyzed data from adult participants in the 2015-2019 administrations of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health for associations between lifetime use of psychedelics and lifetime diagnosis of either any cancer or hematologic cancer. RESULTS: We identified no associations between lifetime psychedelic use and either lifetime cancer diagnosis or hematologic cancer diagnosis. Sub-analyses of lifetime lysergamide, phenethylamine, and tryptamine use also revealed no associations with lifetime cancer or hematologic cancer diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: While laboratory studies and case reports from the 1960s and 1970s generated concerns about psychedelics' carcinogenic potential, this analysis of recent epidemiological data does not support an association between psychedelic use and development of cancer in general or hematologic cancer. Important study limitations to consider include a lack of information about psychedelic dosage, number of lifetime psychedelic exposures, and the temporal relationship between psychedelic use and cancer diagnosis.

Suicide versus Accidental Death by Autoerotic Asphyxiation in a Patient Receiving Intravenous Ketamine for Depression.

Background: Clinical trials have demonstrated that subanesthetic intravenous ketamine exerts antidepressant effects lasting a week or longer postinfusion, as well as antisuicidal effects starting approximately 4 hours postinfusion and lasting 72 hours or longer. These findings have generated considerable enthusiasm within psychiatry. However, reports of treatment-emergent suicide attempts and completed suicides in some patients receiving ketamine or the ketamine enantiomer esketamine have begun to emerge. Here, we contribute to the small literature on suicide-related adverse events and ketamine with an unusual case of a patient who died either by suicide or accidental death via autoerotic asphyxiation approximately four days after a ketamine infusion. Case Presentation. The patient was a 28-year-old man with major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, hypothyroidism, low testosterone, and sleep apnea referred for management of treatment resistant depression. His depression briefly remitted with ketamine, and suicidality briefly disappeared. However, these improvements were short-lived. Four days after his seventh and final scheduled ketamine infusion, the patient was found dead, presumably due to autoerotic asphyxiation. Interestingly, ketamine use has been reported in association with autoerotic asphyxiation. However, given our patient's recent severe suicidality, methods of his past suicide attempts, and family history of suicide, death from suicide seems more likely. Discussion. Here we consider the possibility of whether ketamine may have contributed to the patient's possible suicide, either via a direct worsening of his suicidality or psychological withdrawal following cessation of treatment, given recent concerns about psychological withdrawal's potential role insuicides following esketamine treatment. Conclusions: Though we are uncertain about the patient's cause of death, this case provides an opportunity to highlight important gaps in our understanding of the suicide-related risks of subanesthetic intravenous ketamine treatment for mood disorders and suicidality.

United States National Institutes of Health grant funding for psychedelic-assisted therapy clinical trials from 2006-2020.

BACKGROUND: Medicine is currently experiencing a "psychedelic renaissance", said by many to have commenced in 2006. Since then, clinical trials have consistently demonstrated promising findings for psychedelic-assisted therapies in the treatment of various mental health conditions and addictions. While most of this work has been privately funded, governmental biomedical research funding bodies in countries such as Australia, Canada, Israel, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom have begun supporting it. Given that the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, it is important to understand the degree to which the organization is supporting clinical trials of psychedelic-assisted therapies. We are unaware of existing literature quantifying direct NIH grant support for psychedelic-assisted therapy clinical trials, so we sought to answer this important question by searching all NIH grants awarded since the beginning of the psychedelic renaissance. METHODS: We queried NIH RePORTER, NIH's grant database, for grants awarded from 2006-2020 mentioning the psychedelics 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT), ayahuasca, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ibogaine, lysergic acid (LSD), mescaline, peyote, and psilocybin. We manually reviewed resulting grants to determine whether they directly funded psychedelic-assisted therapy clinical trials. RESULTS: We identified zero NIH grants directly funding psychedelic-assisted therapy clinical trials during the study period. CONCLUSION: While governmental biomedical research funding bodies in other countries have begun funding clinical trials of psychedelic-assisted therapies during the psychedelic renaissance, NIH has yet to directly fund a single psychedelic-assisted therapy clinical trial. Concerns about risks related to psychedelics, a federal law preventing promotion of legalization of Schedule 1 drugs, and prioritization of grants for other types of studies on psychedelics may explain the dearth of NIH funding for psychedelic-assisted therapy clinical trials.

Psychedelic Knowledge and Opinions in Psychiatrists at Two Professional Conferences: An Exploratory Survey.

Despite resurgent interest in psychedelic-assisted therapy, our insights into psychiatrists' knowledge and opinions about medicinal psychedelic applications are surprisingly narrow. Therefore, we anonymously surveyed psychiatrists attending psychedelic didactic presentations at two national meetings about these issues using a 26-item questionnaire. Response rate was 40.20% (106/264). Respondents were 41.73 ± 13.31 years old (range: 24-80) and 64.42% were male. They largely believed psychedelics show treatment promise and strongly supported federal funding for medicinal psychedelic research. The most common concerns were the lack of trained psychedelic-assisted therapy providers, the logistics of psychedelic-assisted therapy delivery, the administration of psychedelics for patients with contraindications, and diversion. The most desired psychedelic-related educational topics were potential benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapy, how to conduct psychedelic-assisted therapy, psychedelic pharmacology, and psychedelic side effects. Factors associated with increased belief in psychedelics' treatment potential included working primarily in research, scoring higher on a psychedelic knowledge test, and reporting less concern about psychedelics' addictive potential. Working primarily in research and consult-liaison psychiatry fellowship training were positively associated with support for medicinal psychedelic legalization, while increased concerns about addictive potential and attending psychiatrist status were negatively associated. Support for legalization of non-medicinal psychedelic use was negatively associated with age and positively associated with support for legalization of medicinal psychedelic use.