Should Adolescents be Included in Emerging Psychedelic Research?

Recent evidence shows significant potential for therapies involving psychedelic substances such as psilocybin and MDMA to improve clinical outcomes for patients experiencing various mental disorders. However, research to date focuses almost exclusively on adults. I argue that adolescents should be included in research into psychedelic therapies. First, I demonstrate the pressing need for novel interventions to address the growing mental health burden of adolescents, and I draw on empirical evidence to show that research into psychedelic therapies presents an opportunity to address this shortfall. Secondly, I argue that psychedelics pose low risk to young patients, particularly relative to existing psychiatric medications. I then address two major concerns specific to adolescent contexts. First, I address the risks of using psychedelic substances at earlier stages of physiological and cognitive development. I note that the lack of understanding of the risks underscores the need for including adolescents in research. I then address the added complexity of consent in the adolescent context. I highlight some additional concerns that should be addressed in an “enhanced” informed consent process for adolescents and defend the view that capable adolescents should be able to consent to psychedelic interventions. I ultimately hold that including adolescents in emerging psychedelic research has the potential to substantiate innovative treatments that could improve their clinical outcomes, long-term mental health and quality of life. Résumé Abstract Des données récentes montrent que les thérapies faisant appel à des substances psychédéliques telles que la psilocybine et la MDMA ont un potentiel important pour améliorer les résultats cliniques des patients souffrant de divers troubles mentaux. Cependant, les recherches menées à ce jour se concentrent presque exclusivement sur les adultes. Je soutiens que les adolescents devraient être inclus dans la recherche sur les thérapies psychédéliques. Tout d’abord, je démontre le besoin urgent de nouvelles interventions pour répondre au fardeau croissant de la santé mentale des adolescents, et je m’appuie sur des preuves empiriques pour montrer que la recherche sur les thérapies psychédéliques offre une opportunité de répondre à ce manque. Deuxièmement, je soutiens que les psychédéliques présentent un faible risque pour les jeunes patients, en particulier par rapport aux médicaments psychiatriques existants. J’aborde ensuite deux préoccupations majeures spécifiques aux contextes adolescents. Premièrement, j’aborde les risques liés à l’utilisation de substances psychédéliques à des stades précoces du développement physiologique et cognitif. Je note que le manque de compréhension de ces risques souligne la nécessité d’inclure les adolescents dans la recherche. J’aborde ensuite la complexité supplémentaire du consentement dans le contexte des adolescents. Je souligne certaines préoccupations supplémentaires qui devraient être abordées dans un processus de consentement éclairé “amélioré” pour les adolescents, et je défends l’idée que les adolescents capables devraient être en mesure de consentir à des interventions psychédéliques. Je soutiens finalement que l’inclusion des adolescents dans la recherche émergente sur les psychédéliques a le potentiel de justifier des traitements innovants qui pourraient améliorer leurs résultats cliniques, leur santé mentale à long terme et leur qualité de vie. Recent evidence shows significant potential for therapies involving psychedelic substances such as psilocybin and MDMA to improve clinical outcomes for patients experiencing various mental disorders. However, research to date focuses almost exclusively on adults. I argue that adolescents should be included in research into psychedelic therapies. First, I demonstrate the pressing need for novel interventions to address the growing mental health burden of adolescents, and I draw on empirical evidence to show that research into psychedelic therapies presents an opportunity to address this shortfall. Secondly, I argue that psychedelics pose low risk to young patients, particularly relative to existing psychiatric medications. I then address two major concerns specific to adolescent contexts. First, I address the risks of using psychedelic substances at earlier stages of physiological and cognitive development. I note that the lack of understanding of the risks underscores the need for including adolescents in research. I then address the added complexity of consent in the adolescent context. I highlight some additional concerns that should be addressed in an “enhanced” informed consent process for adolescents and defend the view that capable adolescents should be able to consent to psychedelic interventions. I ultimately hold that including adolescents in emerging psychedelic research has the potential to substantiate innovative treatments that could improve their clinical outcomes, long-term mental health and quality of life. experiential draws on biopsychosocial approaches to conventional biomedical frameworks, pharmacological approaches and reliance on institutionalization and emergency interventions Evidence in adults 18 and over suggests that psychedelic-assisted therapies could assist adolescents under 18 experiencing similar mental health challenges, especially those who have not responded to current-evidence based interventions. Randomized clinical trials have shown that psilocybin-assisted and ketamine therapies are safe and effective treatment for producing significant, rapid and sustained antidepressant effects in adult patients experiencing major depressive disorder who have not responded to conventional treatments (17-19) MDMA assisted psychotherapy has to be an effective and innovative treatment for Evidence suggests that ibogaine, psilocybin, ayahuasca may show for opioid and other substance use Psilocybin- and LSD-assisted psychotherapy can reduce anxiety in patients with life-limiting illnesses In addition, classical psychedelics, as