Prof Adam Winstock – The acceptability of psychedelics in psychiatry

Prof Adam Winstock – The acceptability of psychedelics in psychiatry

Full talk title

Global Drug Survey runs the world’s largest drug survey. Over 700,000 people have shared their experiences so far. Using our data to create free harm reduction resources and help people use drugs more safely regardless of the legal status of drug, our last survey GDS2019 had a big focus on psychedelics. Specifically we sought to determine the acceptability of different psychedelic assisted psychotherapies compared to traditional psychiatric interventions and factors associated with high v low acceptability. Over 23,000 people shared their opinions.

Using a hypothetical scenario and data that included drug use and mental health history our data provides an insight into the challenges both modern psychiatry and psychedelic advocates face in the coming years. We suggest ways of addressing myths and barriers and how open access shared databases may allow patients to help services understand how to things right. GDS2020 launching in October 2019 will continue the theme of healing drugs, this time exploring how people are currently using psychedelics to treat themselves and their experience of ‘underground’ therapists and traditional healers who may be using these drugs to address health concerns. If you would like to help promote the survey or translate into your language (its already in 19) please let me know.

Adam is a consultant addiction psychiatrist and Addiction Medicine specialist based in London. He is Honorary Clinical Professor at the Institute of Epidemiolgy and Health Care, University College London. He is also founder and director of Global Drug Survey which runs the biggest drug survey in the world. He is also the architect of the free on line and smart phone apps the drugs meter www.drugsmeter.com and the world’s first safer use cannabis guidelines at www.saferuselimits.com.

Filmed at Breaking Convention 2019

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