New expert commentary outlines five priorities to advance psychedelic therapies in mental health care
A new expert commentary is outlining five priorities to advance psychedelic therapies in mental health care. Published on The Mental Elf—an online resource on mental health research—the piece follows the 2024 International Alliance of Mental Health Research Funders webinar “Making sense of psychedelics: Where is the field and where does it need to go?”
The commentary brings together expert perspectives from across research, regulation, and policy. It is co-authored by Niall Boyce (Wellcome), Florence Butlen-Ducuing (formerly European Medicines Agency), Pim Cuijpers (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, WHO Collaborating Centre), Allan Young (King’s College London), and Anna Zecharia (IAMHRF).
We are pleased to have contributed to the development of the commentary and to see PAREA's website articles cited in the footnotes.
The authors identify five key areas for action to guide the field forward:
Set a balanced tone
Find consensus on methods
Define smart research priorities
Clarify the role of psychotherapy
Prepare health systems
The commentary also calls for clinical realism, culturally informed perspectives, and trial designs that are capable of distinguishing pharmacological from psychotherapeutic effects. As interest in psychedelic therapies grows, expert contributions like this help ensure progress remains grounded, collaborative, and impact-oriented.
Read the full commentary: https://tinyurl.com/thementalelfWatch the webinar recording: https://tinyurl.com/IAMHRFwebinar