In the US alone, it's estimated that 26% of adults suffer from a diagnosable mental health issue year on year. Doctors and research initiatives are always looking for the next anecdote to improve this statistic for the better. Recently, several medical professionals have turned to psychedelic treatments in an attempt to offer their clients the best level of care possible. From ketamine to MDMA, the use of psychedelics dates back to 3500 BC in ancient South and Central America, with 27% of Americans having tried psilocybin as of 2020. In response to this recent increase in psychedelic treatments, the Global Wellness Institute (GWI) has announced a new program: The Psychedelics and Healing Initiative. The project's launch comes as the FDA has granted some psychedelics the designation of "breakthrough" therapy for new mental health treatments. The new approval allows the Psychedelics and Healing Initiative to join the 33 other collaborative initiatives in GWI's portfolio.
The initiative will see researchers across the globe come together to investigate how psychedelic medicines can provide further treatment for intractable medical issues such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). With clinical trials indicating that psychedelics can significantly improve such conditions, 79% of 1,102 individuals taking microdoses of psychedelics to enhance their mental health reported a positive difference. 50.6% of these respondents had previously stopped taking antidepressants after feeling they did not make a significant enough difference in their mental well-being.
Susie Ellis, GWI's Chair and CEO, welcomed the initiative as a key moment for the wellness industry. "Psychedelic healing has arrived. As this movement grows and receives regulatory approvals, an initiative that brings together respected leaders to focus on evidence-based best practices, equity and accessibility is very much needed if we want to realize the potential for psychedelics in helping address the global mental health crisis."
As the world begins to wake up to the benefits of certain narcotics, psychedelic pharmaceutical companies are now publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ, and the Canadian Securities Exchange. The initiative will see multiple high-profile leading figures such as physicians, business innovators, research investors, and policymakers from psychedelic organizations collaborate to make a difference. These include Rick Doblin, PhD, founder of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), and Paul Hutson, PhD, professor and Founding Director of The Transdisciplinary Center for Research in Psychoactive Substances at the University of Wisconsin.
Rick Doblin will serve as the chair of the initiative. The doctor's presentation at the 2021 Global Wellness Summit serves as a foundation for the initiative, outlining a future for wellness with psychedelic-based medicines being a key factor as well as long-established preventative and self-care approaches such as stress management. The program's priorities fall under equity, access, and reciprocity, intending to offer to support those in the field already generating research resources for psychedelic medicines. The initiative will share online home links with those under this category, sharing findings and advice for the best-identified practices.
On an international level, the initiative will work in support of the recently launched International Therapeutic Rescheduling Initiative, a Swiss-based movement to reform the United Nation's pharmaceutical treaties by seeking a worldwide policy change in research towards psychedelics.
