Well, Now

Psychedelics’ Long Strange Trip to the Doctor’s Office

Some psychiatrists and patients have all but begged the FDA to approve psychedelics to help treat severe mental illnesses. What’s the hold-up?

Episode Notes

For years, psychiatrists have been researching new methods to help people with treatment-resistant mental illness. These include severe cases of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other debilitating diagnoses. One type of drug has seen some positive results in clinical trials: psychedelics like psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine, and LSD. In professional medical settings, they’re used as a part of a multifaceted approach to mental health treatment, including supervised therapy sessions while a patient is on a drug.

Recently the pharmaceutical manufacturer Lykos petitioned the FDA to approve the psychedelic MDMA as a part of caring for treatment-resistant PTSD. Earlier this month, an advisory committee to the FDA released their vote of rejecting to approve the drug. Now it’s up to the FDA to make the final call, but the odds are not in the favor of Lykos and many psychiatrists and patients who’ve seen positive outcomes as a result of these MDMA-assisted trials.

Psychiatrist and entrepreneur Dave Rabin is one of the doctors pushing to approve psychedelic-assisted therapy.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now we ask him about the results of his trials using psychedelics in therapy as well as what he thinks the future holds for this field as we wait for the FDA’s final verdict.
If you liked this episode, check out: “As Little Regulation As Guns”: How Social Media Hurts Youth Mental Health

Well, Now is hosted by Dr. Kavita Patel and registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller.
Editing and podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry, with support this week from Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola.

Editorial oversight from Alicia Montgomery, Vice President of Slate Audio.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com.

About the Show

We all want to achieve wellness, but how many of us have a clear understanding of what it is or how to measure it? Some believe it’s meeting a certain set of metrics around health. Others see it as becoming a more effective self-advocate when navigating our health challenges, or creating a balance in work, fitness, and family that promotes a sense of well-being. However we define wellness, we can all use advice from thoughtful people about how to find it for ourselves.

That’s the mission of Slate’s new podcast Well, Now. Each week our hosts, Maya Feller and Kavita Patel, will tackle a new issue around wellness, from the latest exercise craze, to the controversy over BMI, to the best ways to promote sleep hygiene. Every episode aims to give listeners a new understanding of wellness, and how to reach it.

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Hosts

  • Maya Feller is a registered dietitian and contributor to ABC’s Good Morning America, and an advisory board member for SHAPE and Parents. Her expertise can be found in the New York Times, Well+Good, and more. She is also the author of Eating From Our Roots: 80+ Healthy Home-Cooked Favorites From Cultures Around the World and based in New York City.

  • Dr. Kavita Patel is a D.C.-based primary care physician who has a rich background in health and health policy, having served the Obama administration and as a policy analyst to Sen. Edward Kennedy. She’s also a medical contributor for NBC News/MSNBC and a columnist for MSNBC.