Australia on Saturday became one of the first countries in the world to authorize ecstasy and hallucinogenic mushrooms for medical purposes, in the hope of combating certain mental pathologies. From July 1, licensed psychiatrists will be able to prescribe these substances, also known as MDMA and psilocybin, for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder and certain types of depression, according to a February decision by the Australian drug control agency.
Canada and some states in the United States have authorized the medical use of psilocybin and/or MDMA, but only in the context of clinical trials or with special authorizations. Australia will reclassify these substances, after tests by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration evaluating them as “relatively safe” when used in a “medically controlled environment”. Proponents of this decision hope that these substances can lead to decisive advances in the treatment of certain mental disorders.
Mike Musker, a mental health and suicide prevention researcher at the University of South Australia, told AFP that MDMA would be useful in treating post-traumatic stress, while psilocybin could help with the Depression.
The process is not about “taking a pill and disappearing into thin air”
He explained that MDMA gives patients “a sense of connection” which allows them to facilitate contact with the therapist and to discuss their traumatic experiences. The “psycho-spiritual effect” of psilocybin, “which you don’t get with traditional drugs”, he says, “can change your perception of yourself and your life (…) and hopefully it can make you want to live.” Mr Musker doubts these drugs will be “widely used” by patients before 2024, and said the process would not be “to take a pill and disappear into thin air”.
Ecstasy, for example, would probably require three treatments over a period of five to eight weeks, with each session lasting about eight hours. He said therapists would stay with patients while on the drug, in sessions that could cost around 1,000 Australian dollars (609 euros) each. Dr David Caldicott, an emergency medicine consultant and clinical substances researcher at the Australian National University in Canberra, told AFP the move gives Australia a head start in exploring the benefits medicinal drugs.
Risk-benefit ratio
But Susan Rossell, a cognitive neuropsychologist at Swinburne University, said that while these treatments “have potential”, Australia is “moving five years ahead of where it should”. “For any other type of disease, whether it is cardiovascular disease or cancer, it is impossible to bring a drug to market as quickly as we did in this case”, she told AFP. “There are no drugs on the market that haven’t been through phase three and phase four clinical trials – and that’s what we’re doing here.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health told AFP that the decision “takes into account that the evidence regarding the use of these substances in the treatment of mental illness is not yet well established”. “However, the benefits for some patients (…) outweigh the risks, and there is currently a lack of options for patients with specific treatment-resistant mental illnesses.” “I think the patient needs to be warned that (bad trips) are a potential side effect before they participate in the program,” Musker said.