Letter: Can Pairing One Stigma With Another Help End Suffering?

Nearly 1 in every 5 adults (or ~1.6 billion people globally) has, will, or is suffering from PTSD, Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), or other such mental health conditions. While current treatment modalities continue to fail millions of people each year, hope may still exist for these individuals in the form of psychedelic therapy. Research has shown that between 67-71% of people who receive psychedelic treatments for mental health conditions either no longer meet the criteria for their initial diagnosis, or achieve a clinically significant improvement in symptoms and overall well-being. While the psychiatric community has recently renewed its interest in exploring drugs such as psilocybin and MDMA as therapeutic treatments, the concept as a whole still remains shrouded in stigma. Increasing awareness, advocacy, and education towards this topic may help bring these treatments much closer to becoming nationally accepted, available, and affordable to those who desperately need them.