VIDEO: Use of innovative psychedelic treatments for mental health divides the experts

PETER MCCUTCHEON, REPORTER:  It’s unfinished business from the psychedelic ‘60s. 

A promising field of scientific research that was shut down with the US war on drugs and is now coming back to life.

PROF. RICHARD HARVEY, ROYAL COLLEGE OF PSYCHIATRISTS:  In the past sort of probably 10, 15 maybe 20 years, new interest in psychedelics has emerged.

PETER MCCUTCHEON:  Australia, to the surprise of many, is leading the way with the Therapeutic Goods Administration last year making the shock announcement it would allow clinical use of two psychedelic drugs outside of research trials for specific mental health conditions. 

A decision which divided the profession.

DR ANTHONY BLOCH, ASSOC. FOR PSYCHEDELIC PRACTITIONERS:  We were absolutely delightfully surprised, make no mistake because we do see the potential of these medicines.

PROF. SUSAN ROSSELL, SWINBURNE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY:  I thought it was premature and it really concerned me about the safety.

PETER MCCUTCHEON:  In the 12 months after this historic decision, the psychedelic floodgates didn’t open – in fact there’s been barely a trickle to the frustration of many.

ANTHONY BLOCH:  People just desperate, saying, "Oh its legal now, sign me up, where can I get it?"

RICHARD HARVEY:  There’s a definite risk of patients having significantly elevated expectations.

PETER MCCUTCHEON:  Watching this debate with keen interest is Tamara who has struggled with depression for 30 years.

TAMARA, DRUG TRIAL PARTICIPANT:  I guess I sort of at the point where I feel like I would try anything.

PETER MCCUTCHEON:  Tamara starting reading more about psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, which she thought, combined with intensive therapy, may help.

TAMARA:  I was hoping that it might shift something and certainly from some reports that you read it does have a dramatic effect for some people.

PETER MCCUTCHEON:  The scientific evidence for this from numerous research trials is promising, but with some important qualifications.

DR LEON WARNE, RESET MIND SCIENCES:  In the correct cohort, psilocybin has proven to be effective and safe.

SUSAN ROSSELL:  I think about a third seem to have some very positive effects, a third nothing really and then a third actually do have some quite negative long-term consequences from the so-called bad trip.

PETER MCCUTCHEON:  The other drug with even more promising research results is MDMA, or ecstasy, that can be used to treat post-traumatic stress disorder, again with intensive therapy.

DR TED CASSIDY, MONARCH MENTAL HEALTH GROUP:  It’s a drug that very selectively switches off the fear pathways in the brain.

And for a brief moment you can actually create that moment of clarity except in the case of MDMA you actually get about four to five hours of that clarity.

PETER MCCUTCHEON:  When the TGA announced last year both MDMA and psilocybin could be used therapeutically it set out strict controls and warned the drugs would be closely monitored.

Following the announcement, 7.30 can only find evidence of two doses being administered under these conditions.

TED CASSIDY:  It is a very complicated process. There are a very small number of approved prescribers – even over time I doubt we are going to have hundreds and hundreds of approved prescribers.

PETER MCCUTCHEON:  Dr Ted Cassidy is the first psychiatrist in Australia to administer a therapeutic dose of MDMA as part of a treatment which is still ongoing.

It took him months to organise, and the Sydney doctor said he had to travel to Melbourne for the procedure because of restrictive New South Wales health regulations.

TED CASSIDY:  From a cost and manpower and being able to get it to treat lots of people it’s probably not such a good thing but I think at this particular stage in the cycle it’s probably where we need to be at.

PETER MCCUTCHEON:  The Royal College of Psychiatrists has effectively been forced to issue psychedelic therapy guidelines.

It was originally opposed to opening the door to therapeutic psychedelics.

RICHARD HARVEY:  How that decision was made was not obvious to us and we just have to work with the situation that we find ourselves in.

MARKETING VIDEO:  Psychedelic assisted psychotherapy is currently being trialled worldwide.

PETER MCCUTCHEON:  But the college remains concerned about some of the lobbying in the lead up to the TGA’s decision.

RICHARD HARVEY:  And certainly some of the marketing, what we see on the web, on YouTube videos, Tik Tok videos is suggestions that these are treatments or substances that everybody should use, that should be part of every, all psychiatrists should be proscribing and there's absolutely not, by any means, the evidence that that is the situation.

PETER MCCUTCHEON:  These concerns about over-hyping is even shared by a group which welcomed the opening up of psychedelic assisted treatments.

ANTHONY BLOCH:  A lot of people who feel that this is the answer for them – it probably isn’t. But for a lot of people this can be a very powerful tool.

PETER MCCUTCHEON:  Researchers are still trying to work out how to best use this tool – with several psilocybin clinical trials rolling out across Australia this year.

LEON WARNE:  We need to really be able to seriously establish safety, we need to be able to establish how this new therapy is going to be rolled out in the real world.

SUSAN ROSSELL:  Why are we getting some people having absolutely phenomenal benefits and some people actually getting worse? I’m really looking at what we refer to as predictors – what is a predictor of success?

PETER MCCUTCHEON:  Tamara took part in a pilot last year for one of these research trials at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne.

Although she was supported by a psychiatrist and psychologist in a calming setting during her two trips, it was still tough going.

TAMARA:  It was very intense. I certainly didn’t have any epiphany or any life-changing moments, but I’ve never remembered my dreams ever, or felt that I’ve ever dreamt and I’m certainly dreaming a lot now, which is quite strange.

PETER MCCUTCHEON:  And looking back now, are you glad you went through all that?

TAMARA:  Yes, yes.

Would I do it again? I don’t know.

PETER MCCUTCHEON:  This is not a simple case of taking a pill to cure an ill – psychedelics are but one part of a broader therapy.

Psychiatrists are moving slowly and cautiously to work out if and how this can work in practice.

ANTHONY BLOCH:  The main concern here was not about how to get the medicine to as many people as possible but it was really about how to get the medicine safely rolled out.

PETER MCCUTCHEON:  Do you think it is fair to say we’ve managed to avoid the pitfalls of the hype?

RICHARD HARVEY:  I don’t think we know that yet, I think it’s too early to say.