How are psychedelics being used in modern psychiatry?

The answer

Psychedelic-assisted therapy has shown remarkable clinical results. In 2023, a phase III trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that psilocybin combined with therapy reduced treatment-resistant depression scores by 50% in 29% of participants after just two sessions. MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD showed 71% of participants no longer meeting diagnostic criteria after three sessions in MAPS-sponsored trials. The FDA granted psilocybin 'Breakthrough Therapy' designation in 2018 and 2019. Australia became the first country to legalize psilocybin and MDMA prescriptions for depression and PTSD in July 2023. Brain imaging reveals psychedelics work by temporarily disrupting the Default Mode Network, allowing rigid thought patterns to reorganize.