The PAREA project is dedicated to preparing Europe for the implementation of psychedelic-assisted therapies. Sara Cerdas, a member of the parliament for Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee says that science has proven that novel psychedelic medicines can help those going through a mental health crisis.
Mental health problems are a serious issue affecting millions of people in the European Union, and suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people aged between 15 and 29. The COVID-19 outbreak has only made these challenges worse. According to the International Labour Organization, in the spring of 2021, 64% of young people were at risk of depression due to loneliness and social isolation. We need to do better for those individuals, families, and communities affected by mental health conditions.
We need to do much more to support mental health, and we believe that evidence-based treatments like novel psychedelic medicines hold promise in this area.
“I cannot ignore what science has been telling us for years now. A growing, rigorous, and compelling body of research strongly suggests that psychedelic-assisted therapies may be a potent new class of treatments for mental health conditions”.
Although psychedelic substances like LSD and MDMA are still illegal, there is an overwhelming amount of scientific evidence that suggests these substances could be potent treatments for mental health conditions.
PAREA members issued a call to European policymakers at the event, which included the following recommendations:
- Raise European Union funding for psychedelic research.
- Develop fair clinical trials and supportive regulation for psychedelic-assisted therapies.
- Establish strong psychotherapeutic standards in Europe to guarantee optimal care and safety for patients.
- Develop policies based on evidence to encourage psychedelic advancement in areas where there is a great demand but a lack of solutions.
- Develop European standards for infrastructure and training before psychedelic treatments are approved, to meet the current needs of patients who require access.
Psychedelics and Mental Health: How do they work together?
The combination of psychedelic medicine and therapy offers people a therapeutic window of opportunity to address the root causes of their mental health problems with trained therapists.
The trial done at Johns Hopkins University involving psilocybin-assisted therapy produced hopeful results: most of the cancer patients experienced “significant decreases in depressed mood and anxiety”, and two-thirds of them rated their psilocybin sessions among the most meaningful experiences of their lives. Psychedelic compounds have also shown promise in treating addictions.
Psychedelic-assisted therapy is safe when conducted in supportive settings, and research suggests that it could effectively treat several mental health conditions. However, stigma and prejudice toward psychedelics prevent many people from getting the help they need. We need greater EU research efforts to understand these treatments better so that more people can benefit from them.
The Psychedelic Access and Research European Alliance (PAREA) has announced a new European Union partnership that promises to make psychedelic-assisted therapies more accessible to patients who desperately need them. Tadeusz Hawrot, founder and policy lead at PAREA, says the move will help fill a significant gap in patient care.
After being diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer in 2013, Kerry was given a large dose of psilocybin as part of an ongoing clinical trial. Psilocybin is the psychedelic agent in magic mushrooms. With a blindfold to keep out distractions, headphones playing soothing music, and trained guides watching over her; she had a profound realization while lying on the couch: “You are alive right now because that’s all you have.” Despite the progression of her cancer, after treatment, her death anxiety was gone.
A short clip of her testimonial is available here.
You can find many inspiring stories from people who have undergone Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (PAT) in clinical trials. These tests explore the effects of compounds with psychedelic properties, such as psilocybin, 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), or Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD). So far, the results are very encouraging.
A phase 3 clinical trial published in Nature Medicine in 2021 showed that 67% of participants who received MDMA-assisted therapy no longer had PTSD. This means that the FDA might approve this type of therapy as early as next year.
Research into the neuroscience and therapeutic applications of psychedelics has increased rapidly in recent years, offering hope for new treatments for brain disorders. European countries must take action to ensure that these therapies are available to patients as soon as possible.
Currently, there are over 30 phase II clinical trials investigating various symptoms and disorders, including treatment-resistant depression, alcohol use disorder and other addictions, anxiety, pain (e.g. cluster headaches), and neurological disorders.
Between 2017 and 2019, the US FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to PATs for three trials investigating psilocybin for depression and MDMA for PTSD. Top-tier universities in the US and Europe are opening dedicated centres to study psychedelics and governments across the world start funding research into psychedelics.
The FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy designation to three trials investigating psilocybin for depression and MDMA for PTSD between 2017 and 2019. Also, numerous centers at renowned universities devoted to studying psychedelics are springing up across the US and Europe. Furthermore, many governments are beginning to invest money into researching psychedelics.
Following the lead of the U.S., Psychedelic Access and Research European Alliance (PAREA) has just been launched to provide funding opportunities and preparations for psychedelic treatments. PAREA is a broad partnership with 15 members that include patient organizations, professional associations, umbrella organizations, psychedelic foundations, and businesses.
The PAREA board members launched an initiative for European policymakers which included key priorities and proposed policy changes.
European authorities need to act now to ensure that these potentially life-changing treatments are made available to patients as quickly as possible.
