With Psychedelic Treatments on Horizon, New Opportunities Coming for Behavioral Healthcare Organizations
The regular use of psychedelic treatments in behavioral healthcare is rapidly approaching.
Earlier this month, MAPS Public Benefit Corporation submitted a new drug application to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Approvals of additional psychedelics indicated for other disease states are likely to follow.
At the recent Treatment Center Investment & Valuation Retreat West, Jeeshan Chowdhury, MD, PhD, founder and CEO of Journey Colab, a psychedelic development company, presented a session on what treatment centers can do to prepare for a potentially seismic shift in behavioral healthcare and how their organizations can offer these emerging treatment options as new service lines.
Shortly after the retreat, Behavioral Healthcare Executive caught up with Dr Chowdhury to discuss steps treatment centers should be taking with regards to psychedelics, which behavioral health conditions could be ideal candidates for psychedelic-assisted therapy, and plans for Journey Colab’s research collaboration with whole-person health company All Points North.
Editor’s note: This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Behavioral Healthcare Executive: With MDMA anticipated to receive FDA approval in 2024 and other psychedelic treatments expected to follow shortly after, what should treatment center operators be doing now to prepare themselves to integrate these new service lines into their organizations?
Jeeshan Chowdhury: Treatment centers should take proactive steps to prepare for the integration of MDMA and other psychedelic treatments, which I would say involve:
Infrastructure. Assess and enhance treatment center infrastructure to accommodate the safety and protocol requirements associated with psychedelic therapies. This may include creating designated spaces for therapy sessions, and ensuring the availability of necessary medical monitoring and staffing. Psychedelic care will require specialized staffing from the prescriber to the therapist, and it will be important for centers to find way to train their current staff or be ready to bring in staff with the needed qualifications.
Legal and regulatory compliance. Centers will need to stay informed about the evolving legal and regulatory landscape surrounding psychedelic treatments, from US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) legislation to proper drug storage. Ensure that treatment centers are compliant with any new guidelines or requirements that may emerge with the FDA approval of MDMA and other psychedelics.
Partnerships and collaborations. Form partnerships with organizations like Journey Colab that are actively involved in research and clinical trials related to psychedelic therapies. Collaborative efforts can provide insights, resources, training, and support for a smooth integration of psychedelics.
BHE: What behavioral health conditions could be ideal candidates to be treated with psychedelics?
JC: Psychedelic therapies that have shown the most promise are with PTSD, depression, and anxiety disorders, based on the most prominent and recent research, including the recent Phase 3 study published by MAPS for MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD. However, I do feel like within these disorders, substance use disorder (SUD) is a common comorbidity, and thus I feel like SUD can an ideal candidate for psychedelic therapy. We have already seen promising results in the Micheal Bogenschutz study with psilocybin and alcohol use disorder (AUD), and we hope to further advance that research with a clinical trial for MDMA-assisted therapy and AUD.
BHE: Do you have any predictions for developments related to the role that psychedelics will be playing in behavioral healthcare within the next 2-3 years? Where are we headed?
JC: I think we are going to see a complete paradigm shift within the mental health field and launch us into a new age of mental healthcare, potentially setting a new standard of care with psychedelics.
With MDMA anticipated to receive FDA approval first, there will most likely be a domino effect leading to approvals for other psychedelic treatments. This could open the door for broader acceptance and integration of psychedelics into mainstream behavioral healthcare and expand accessibility. We have already seen a demand for the recently approved centers in Oregon, with people traveling from all over the country and world to get psilocybin therapy.
With an increase in accessibility, I think we will unfortunately see an increase in misuse and abuse with psychedelics, which is going to put more importance on there being safe space, like treatment centers, that can offer people this care in a truly safe environment with highly trained therapists and clinicians.
I do also think the field of psychedelic research is likely to expand, exploring additional applications, refining treatment protocols, and contributing more to the growing body of evidence around psychedelic therapy and its overall acceptance within the medical healthcare world.
BHE: Earlier this year, Journey Colab entered into a working relationship with All Points North. What can you tell us about the research being conducted by these 2 organizations working in collaboration?
JC: We feel very grateful to All Points North for being a pioneer in this research and being highly collaborative with us in this clinical trial. As for the clinical trial, we are planning to conduct MDMA-assisted therapy within their treatment center, specifically at their detox center in Denver, where the highest level of medical supervision and good hands-on care can be given to a participant. We plan to integrate MDMA-assisted therapy into their existing treatment program, like a residential treatment stay, intensive outpatient, and outpatient care, and study the efficacy of MDMA-assisted therapy for AUD, as well as the efficacy of MDMA-assisted therapy being housed within a treatment center. This is going to be a highly collaborative study, that will offer learning opportunities and hopefully pave the way for this integration of psychedelic care into other treatment centers across the country.
BHE: Is there anything else you would like to mention that we have not covered here?
JC: The main thing that I would like to say is that we should be looking at psychedelics more like surgery. With any surgery you need pre- and post-operative care, specially trained staff to deliver that surgery and a medically safe space for all of it. Treatment centers already operate in this manner and are already able to provide that level of care and support. Rehab after surgery is as important as the procedure itself, and I feel like treatment centers are best suited to house psychedelics.
References
Chowdhury J. Preparing treatment centers for psychedelic therapies. Presented at Treatment Center Investment & Valuation Retreat West. November 27-29, 2023; Scottsdale, Arizona.
