Prolonged Adverse Reactions to Lysergic Acid Diethylamide

Cohen, Sidney; Ditman, Keith S.

doi:10.1001/archpsyc.1963.01720110051006

Cited by 83 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Whilst the study was unsystematic, the majority of cases occurred using illicit LSD taken within a psychologically destabilising milieu that also included other psychoactive drugs and lack of access to timely medical assistance (Cohen and Ditman, 1963). This was a view echoed by Strassman in a comprehensive review of adverse events to psychedelics in 1984 (Strassman, 1984).…”

Section: Clinical Trials Prior To Prohibition: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychiatry & the psychedelic drugs. Past, present & future

2018

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a b s t r a c tThe classical psychedelic drugs, including psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide and mescaline, were used extensively in psychiatry before they were placed in Schedule I of the UN Convention on Drugs in 1967. Experimentation and clinical trials undertaken prior to legal sanction suggest that they are not helpful for those with established psychotic disorders and should be avoided in those liable to develop them. However, those with so-called 'psychoneurotic' disorders sometimes benefited considerably from their tendency to 'loosen' otherwise fixed, maladaptive patterns of cognition and behaviour, particularly when given in a supportive, therapeutic setting. Pre-prohibition studies in this area were sub-optimal, although a recent systematic review in unipolar mood disorder and a meta-analysis in alcoholism have both suggested efficacy. The incidence of serious adverse events appears to be low. Since 2006, there have been several pilot trials and randomised controlled trials using psychedelics (mostly psilocybin) in various non-psychotic psychiatric disorders. These have provided encouraging results that provide initial evidence of safety and efficacy, however the regulatory and legal hurdles to licensing psychedelics as medicines are formidable. This paper summarises clinical trials using psychedelics pre and post prohibition, discusses the methodological challenges of performing good quality trials in this area and considers a strategic approach to the legal and regulatory barriers to licensing psychedelics as a treatment in mainstream psychiatry.

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Section: Clinical Trials Prior To Prohibition: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychiatry & the psychedelic drugs. Past, present & future

2018

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“…They found underlying hysterical or paranoid personalities in each and concluded that the reactions were due to unskillful therapeutic management, permitting an upsurge of unconscious material which the patient was unable to handle. In a subsequent article (Cohen & Ditman, 1963) they reported several cases of prolonged psychotic decompensation, depressive reaction, and paranoid reaction in LSD therapy patients. In most of these cases psychological disturbances antedated the treatment, but the patients had been functioning outside a hospital.…”

Section: Psychiatric Patients In Psychotherapy and Researchmentioning

confidence: 98%

Long-term psychological effects of LSD.

McWilliams¹,

Tuttle²

1973

Psychological Bulletin

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The literature reporting lasting adverse psychological reactions to LSD is reviewed, along with other relevant reports where LSD users were followed. The danger of long-lasting psychological damage is low when the drug is used by emotionally stable individuals in secure, controlled settings, but persons with psychiatric disturbance, unstable personalities, and current crisis situations have experienced pathological behavior temporally related to drug ingestion. Adverse reactions were not reported in well-controlled studies with normal subjects, indicating the drug's relative safety for continued research.

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“…The following year, these same authors published a follow up report describing nine cases involving different types of adverse effects including: prolonged psychotic decompensation, depressive reactions, release of preexisting psychopathic antisocial trends, abandonment of social responsibilities, and paranoid reactions [29].…”

Section: Adverse Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) in the Treatment of Addictions: Historical Perspectives and Future Prospects

Liester¹

2015

CDAR

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Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a semisynthetic compound with strong psychoactive properties. Chemically related to serotonin, LSD was initially hypothesized to produce a psychosis-like state. Later, LSD was reported to have benefits in the treatment of addictions. However, widespread indiscriminate use and reports of adverse affects resulted in the classification of LSD as an illicit drug with no accepted medical use. This article reviews LSD's storied history from its discovery, to its use as a research tool, followed by its widespread association with the counterculture movement of the 1960s, and finally to its rebirth as a medicine with potential benefits in the treatment of addictions. LSD's pharmacology, phenomenology, effects at neurotransmitter receptors, and effects on patterns of gene expression are reviewed. Based upon a review of the literature, it is concluded that further research into LSD's potential as a treatment for addictions is warranted.

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Prolonged Adverse Reactions to Lysergic Acid Diethylamide

Cited by 83 publications

References 7 publications

Psychiatry & the psychedelic drugs. Past, present & future

Psychiatry & the psychedelic drugs. Past, present & future

Long-term psychological effects of LSD.

A Review of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD) in the Treatment of Addictions: Historical Perspectives and Future Prospects

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