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. 2024 Sep 4;2(3):161-165.
doi: 10.1089/psymed.2023.0060. eCollection 2024 Sep.

Patients' Experiences Discussing Psychedelics for Therapeutic Purposes with Physicians and Other Health Care Providers

Michelle St Pierre  1 , Lucas Standing  1 , Yarissa Herman  2 , Mark Haden  3 , Zach Walsh  1
Affiliations

Patients' Experiences Discussing Psychedelics for Therapeutic Purposes with Physicians and Other Health Care Providers

Michelle St Pierre et al. Psychedelic Med (New Rochelle). .

Abstract

Background: A core component in the provision and receipt of appropriate medical care is trust and communication between patients and physicians. The use of psychedelics for therapeutic purposes (PTPs) has experienced growing attention in the past decade and may be an increasing topic of patient-physician interactions. The stigmatization of psychedelic use may complicate this process. However, patient perspectives on discussing psychedelics with their physician have not yet been systematically examined.

Methods: We report findings from a cross-sectional study of 791 adults who use psychedelics. The survey queried patient experiences communicating about PTP with health care providers (HCPs) as well as intentions, modes, and patterns of psychedelic use.

Results: A majority (80%) of the 791 adult psychedelic users (M age = 37, SD = 1.28; 46% female) endorsed using PTPs. Nearly a third of therapeutic users (30%; n = 190) reported discussing psychedelic use with their physician. Barriers to discussing PTP with physicians included stigmatization, perceived physician knowledge gaps about psychedelics, and legal status. Patients with a history of mood disorders (χ2 = 11.01, p < 0.01), or posttraumatic stress disorder (χ2 = 10.32, p < 0.01) were more likely to discuss PTP with their provider, as were respondents who used ketamine (χ2 = 5.23, p < 0.05).

Conclusions: This study is among the first to systemically examine patient experiences and perceptions about discussing PTP with their HCP. These data suggest the majority of patients are hesitant to discuss psychedelics with their physicians and illuminate factors associated with greater likelihood of patient-physician discussions.

Keywords: barriers to access; physician communication; plant medicine; psychedelics for therapeutic purposes; therapeutic intent.

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Conflict of interest statement

M.S.P. contributed to conceptualization, methodology, data analysis, writing, and project administration. Z.W. was involved in conceptualization, survey preparation, reviewing, and editing. L.S. carried out data analysis and writing. Y.H. was in charge of conceptualization, methodology, reviewing, and editing. M.H. took charge of conceptualization and methodology.M.S.P. is supported by a Mitacs Elevate Post-Doctoral Fellowship that is funded in part by MycoMedica Life Sciences PBC. Z.W. is in paid advisory relationships with Numinus Wellness, Entheotech BioMedical, and MycoMedica Life Sciences regarding the medical development of psychedelics and is a member of the Advisory Board of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) Canada. L.S. and Y.H. have no disclosures. M.H. is in paid advisory relationships with Clearmind Medicine and Psygen.No funding was received for this article.

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