{"id":225609,"date":"2025-01-27T15:47:13","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T14:47:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/?p=225609"},"modified":"2025-01-27T15:47:14","modified_gmt":"2025-01-27T14:47:14","slug":"could-psychedelic-therapy-improve-the-mental-health-of-autistic-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/lv\/blog\/could-psychedelic-therapy-improve-the-mental-health-of-autistic-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Could Psychedelic Therapy Improve the Mental Health of Autistic People?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is not unusual for those who use psychedelic drugs to describe their experience as transcendent and awe-inspiring; triggering feelings of profound unity and joy. In a recent survey<\/a> 233 testimonials reflected just this. However, what made this survey unusual was that all the participants were autistic.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So far, in the study of psychedelics, the potential benefits for autistic people have been rather overlooked. However, this recent study, published late last year in Psychopharmacology, <\/em>suggests that they may be significant. Autistic people tend to experience higher instances of mental health conditions such as depresija<\/a>, trauksme, obsessive compulsive disorder<\/a> (OKT)<\/em> un substance-use disorder<\/a>, meaning that finding a way to treat these conditions is especially vital. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Psychedelics Can Alleviate Mental Health Complaints <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In previous studies with non-autistic participants, psychedelics have been found to alleviate the aforementioned mental health conditions. This suggests that substances such as psilocybin and LSD could also be effective for those same conditions in autistic people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So far, only one small pilot study<\/a> has been carried out in this field. This trial, published in 2018, consisted of 12 autistic adults with severe social anxiety. They received talk therapy combined with either a dose of MDMA or a placebo. Those who received MDMA experienced a \u201crapid and durable improvement\u201d <\/em>in symptoms that persisted for 6 months, the authors reported.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Investigating Psychedelics for Autism <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Now, numerous small-scale studies are kicking off to investigate both the drug\u2019s promise and risks for autistic adults. Caution is needed however, as researchers cannot just assume that an autistic brain will react the same as a neurotypical brain. While individual differences are everywhere, they can be even more diverse and varied in autistic individuals, meaning that reactions to psychedelics may be harder to predict. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A currently in-process study<\/a> at King\u2019s College London, being carried out by psychiatrist and neuroscientist Gr\u00e1inne McAlonan and colleagues, is using psychedelics to investigate those brain differences specifically. 39 autistic and 30 non-autistic adults completed sensory-processing tests, (such as responding to an unexpected sound)<\/em> with and without a low dose of psilocybin.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using MRI and electroencephalography the researchers will study the participants’ biological responses to the drug. The aim is to collate information \u201cwell grounded in neuroscience\u201d <\/em>that will help autistic people consider whether using psychedelics as a mental health treatment is right for them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anecdotal Evidence is Key to Understanding Individual Experiences<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there are many autistic people already experimenting with psychedelics in their own time. From their reports, more information about the efficacy of the drugs can be gleaned. Aaron Paul Orsini, founder of autisticpsychedelic.com<\/a>, an online database for neurodivergent psychedelic facilities, has collected approximately 8000 such anecdotes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Via autisticpsychedelic.com<\/mark><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Orsini (who is himself autistic)<\/em> believes that the numerous anecdotes suggest psychedelics could address \u201ccore issues\u201d <\/em>for autistic people. The higher rates of mental health conditions experienced by autistic people are potentially influenced by numerous different sources. These could include discrimination, feeling out of place\/out of depth in a world built for non-autistic people, difficulty finding adequate mental health support, and possibly, genetics.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Orsini and colleagues\u2019 recently published survey, they found that 82% of respondents reported a significant reduction in psychological distress. 78% said they felt less social anxiety after their most impactful psychedelic experience. However, some respondents said that their trip induced intense fear, grief, and paranoia. Orsini proposes that an uncontrolled environment could be to blame for these negative experiences. It is worth noting still, that challenging experiences can also happen even in a carefully planned situation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further study is certainly needed, though the initial results are promising. Jack Stroud, a clinical psychologist in Boston and lead author of the study, said;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is the first survey with autistic adults that suggests they may benefit significantly from psychedelic experiences,\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt indicates that future proof-of-concept trials would be worthwhile.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upcoming Studies: Psychedelics and Autism<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Australia: <\/strong>In January 2025, clinical psychologist Gillinder Bedi and colleagues will start to recruit about 150 young autistic adults for a multisite trial of MDMA-assisted therapy for social anxiety. According to Bedi, the condition affects up to 87% of people in that group who seek treatment for mental health.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Toronto<\/strong>: participants are being recruited to test the effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy in autistic adults with treatment-resistant depression.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Toronto:<\/strong> Orsini and colleagues hope to carry out a study of LSD microdosing in autistic adults with alexithymia (difficulty experiencing or identifying emotions.)<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    It is worth noting that these studies limit participation to the two-thirds of autistic people who do not have an intellectual disability . The key reason for this is that informed consent is incredibly important \u2014 in any medical trial \u2014 but especially in ones involving psychedelics. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"
    Izmantojot Unsplash<\/mark><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    If these, and future trials, prove to be safe and effective for autistic people without an intellectual disability, researchers may in the future, be able extend the scope of their studies even further, so all people can thrive. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    According to the WHO, around 1% of the global population has autism spectrum disorder. An autism diagnosis comes with greater odds of suffering from mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, OCD, and substance-use disorders. However, a brace of exciting new studies are investigating how psychedelics may help individuals affected. <\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":225615,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[88,68],"tags":[],"topics":[],"class_list":["post-225609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-psychedelic-studies","category-science-and-studies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/lv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/lv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/lv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/lv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/lv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=225609"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/lv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225609\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":225622,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/lv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/225609\/revisions\/225622"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/lv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/225615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/lv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=225609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/lv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=225609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/lv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=225609"},{"taxonomy":"topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholecelium.com\/lv\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topics?post=225609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}