Psychedelics Move Toward Mainstream Medicine
By Gregory A. Fonzo, Charles B. Nemeroff
Humans have experimented with mind-bending substances since ancient times. Can these drugs become effective treatments for mental health conditions?
This Article From Issue
May-June 2025
Volume 113, Number 3
Page 170
We sat in rapt attention while our patient, Jeff, described his brush with a suicide attempt. “I put the gun to my head and pulled the trigger . . . click. Nothing happened. The gun was empty. No bullets at all. I realized later that someone who cared about me more than I did about myself must have emptied the magazine.” Jeff, a former marine and firefighter, went on to recount how that experience served as a wake-up call. He needed to do something different, and fast. But what?
QUICK TAKE
- Psychiatrists began testing whether psychedelic drugs, such as LSD and mescaline, could be used to treat mental health conditions in the mid-20th century.
- Until the past several years, clinical trials of psychedelic drugs did not deliver meaningful results because they were too small and lacked proper controls.
- Studies today are approaching the size and rigor required to finally show us whether psychedelics can treat conditions such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
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