Research Title:
Exploring the Perspectives of Mental Health Professionals towards the Utility of Psychoactive Drugs as Treatment for Mental Health Problems
Principal investigator:
Ameleah Griffiths
About the researcher:
Affiliation:
University of Manchester, UK
Research proposal abstract
The growing prevalence of mental health disorders has required an influx of mental health services; however, numerous treatment strategies are providing insufficient outcomes. As a result, there is a need to reassess strategy. The medical community has shifted its focus towards investigating the clinical applications of psychedelic drugs in order to provide assistance to patients who lack access to effective therapeutic interventions.
Psilocybin is the focus of the research due to its relative safety, therapeutic potential, and the ongoing development of its legal status. It has been studied as an adjunct treatment to psychotherapy, and whilst the evidence base is limited, research has shown promising results for a multitude of mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety, alcohol dependence and smoking cessation. Although emerging trials have highlighted psilocybin’s potential clinical utility, it is important to consider its acceptability in order to implement it in the future. There are currently conflicting views surrounding the implementation of psychedelics. Societal acceptance of psychedelics has evolved over the past two decades because of their significant, therapeutic effects on individuals. However, given psilocybin’s scheduling (schedule 1), there are opposing assumptions that they have no medical value and have a high likelihood harm and misuse. This is because schedule 1 drugs are defined as “drugs that have no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse”.
This research therefore aims to investigate the perceptions of mental health professionals’ acceptability towards psychoactive drugs in order to assess its clinical utility.
This is an important area of research because if scheduling does change and it becomes a viable treatment option, we need to understand the barriers and facilitators to move forward and implement.
Participation
I am looking for volunteers who are a mental health professional or trainee (i.e., clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, counsellor, mental health nurse). Participants must be over 18, live in the UK and have access to a computer to take part. Interviews will take approximately 30 minutes to an hour, and will be guided by open ended questions to prompt your perspectives.
If you would like to express your interest, or have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to discussing such an interesting topic with you!