Psychedelic and Interventional Psychiatry

Dear Colleagues,

“Psychedelic and Interventional Psychiatry” is a rapidly growing and exciting area of therapeutics that offers hope but also poses challenges. This Special Issue will showcase new approaches to psychiatric care, focusing on the clinical potential of psychedelics and interventional methods for applications in problems that have not been easy to treat, such as eating disorders, as well as major psychiatric diagnoses with considerable problems in terms of treatment-resistant conditions. Existing pharmacological treatments for psychiatric disorders have demonstrated limited efficacy, delayed onset of action, and a significant burden of side effects. Recent findings from human studies with psychedelics have shown promise, demonstrating the rapid and sustained clinical benefits of these compounds for a variety of psychiatric disorders.

Research in this field examines substances including psilocybin, ketamine, and MDMA in the treatment of depression, PTSD, and addiction, often highlighting neuroplasticity and therapeutic efficacy in controlled environments. Additionally, interventional psychiatry includes FDA-approved techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and emerging deep-brain stimulation (DBS) approaches in psychiatric and addiction medicine, which are especially promising in patients who are unresponsive to traditional treatments.

The disruptive significance and importance of psychedelic and interventional innovations offering one-dose treatments for difficult-to-treat patients was shown in a recent study, in which researchers used national data from the existing pool of people being treated for MDD and TRD. They reported that 56 to 62% of the individuals being treated for MDD and TRD—roughly 5.1 to 5.6 million people—would be eligible for psilocybin alone and could benefit from it.

Psychedelic and interventional treatments such as a singular 25 mg dose of psilocybin are often enough to reduce the symptoms of depression, might cure some patients, can be used to treat others, and can also reduce the financial burden on patients, governmental agencies, and private insurance payers who are currently funding other treatments. While treatments have been developed for substance use disorders, especially opioid use disorders, these treatments are not very effective and are similar to nicotine replacement therapies in action. New approaches, with the promise of resetting the brain to pre-addiction functionality, are needed. 

While this is not an exhaustive list, we encourage contributions that focus on the following areas:

1. LSD in generalized anxiety disorder and depression;
2. Psilocybin in treatment-resistant depression (TRD), anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders, and alcohol use disorders;
3. Ketamine (and Esketamine): PTSD, depression, and suicidal ideation;
4. Nitrous oxide in TRD;
5. MDMA in PTSD;
6. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS): non-invasive and FDA-approved for depression, the use of TMS is expanding to include applications in anxiety, OCD, and PTSD;
7. Deep-brain stimulation (DBS): targeting treatment-resistant OCD and depression, DBS is an invasive but customizable neuromodulation method;
8. Ibogaine: studied for opioid dependence and TBI, it may help interrupt addiction cycles through intense psychological resets;
9. DMT (Dimethyltryptamine): research suggests potential applications in end-of-life anxiety, TRD, and other mood disorders due to its rapid, profound effects;
10. Other psychedelic interventions.

In the future, these interventions may be used in combination with psychotherapy, tailored dosing, or precision neuromodulation, allowing psychiatric care to become more individualized and potentially more effective in complex disorders.

Our emphasis on psychedelic and interventional psychiatry is timely for several reasons. Firstly, there is a growing need for innovative treatments, especially for patients with treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, and addiction—conditions where conventional methods often fall short. Psychedelic therapies, backed by a recent wave of clinical trials, have shown promising results in facilitating neuroplasticity and profound psychological change. Interventional approaches such as TMS and DBS provide alternatives to pharmacotherapy, fitting into the broader push for personalized, less invasive psychiatric care in the face of the global mental health crisis. Secondly, while the preliminary findings on psychedelics are encouraging, the current evidence is still insufficient to support the extensive routine use of these drugs. The long-term safety and efficacy of these compounds remain unclear, and several clinical trials are underway and may provide answers to these questions. Therefore, this Special Issue will provide an overview of the current evidence on psychedelic drugs—particularly psilocybin, MDMA, and LSD—in the treatment of psychiatric disorders.

Dr. Mark S. Gold
Guest Editor

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• psychedelics
• ketamine
• interventional psychiatry
• psychedelic medicine
• LSD
• DMT
• psilocybin
• MDMA
• depression
• anxiety
• end of life
• palliative medicine
• treatment-resistant depression
• OCD
• anorexia nervosa
• eating disorders
• nitrous oxide
• TMS
• DBS
• alcohol use disorders
• substance use disorders
• trauma
• post-traumatic stress disorders
• PTSD
• ketamine and other psychedelic use disorders