UBCO study explores access to psychedelics for therapeutic use

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UBCO researchers examine the difficulty patients might have discussing the use of psychedelics for therapeutic use with their care provider.

Feeling safe and comfortable are key when discussing your health and wellbeing with your primary care provider.

However, that feeling of comfort and safety can’t be taken for granted among many people who have turned to psychedelic substances—including psilocybin—to help control their symptoms of depression, anxiety or PTSD. Now, a team of UBC Okanagan researchers in the Irving K. Barber Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences has published a study looking into patient perspectives and potential issues when it comes to discussing psychedelics for therapeutic use with their physicians.

Dr. Michelle St. Pierre conducts research with Dr. Zach Walsh in UBC’s Therapeutic, Recreational, and Problematic Substance Use Lab. Their latest paper, published in Psychedelic Medicine, determined that concern about having an open discussion regarding psychedelic substances with a physician can create a roadblock to that conversation.

Read the full story here: UBC Okanagan News