Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy for Mental Health

Psychedelics are having a moment in mental health care. Research is showing promising results for conditions including depression, treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, and PTSD. But how much do we actually know — and how much is hype?

ADAA member expert and licensed psychologist Jonathan Schettino, PhD, explains how psychedelics went from being viewed primarily as illegal drugs to becoming the subject of serious clinical research. He breaks down what happens during psychedelic-assisted therapy, why standardized dosing matters, and why treatment involves much more than simply taking a psychedelic and “tripping.”

Listeners will learn:

• how researchers control psychedelic doses in clinical trials
• why psychedelics aren't yet FDA-approved treatments
• whether psychotherapy makes psychedelic treatment more effective

The research is promising, but the science isn't settled. This conversation explains what we know, what we don't know, and why the next few years could be critical for understanding the future of psychedelic-assisted mental health treatment. Listen now!

This episode has been sponsored by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA).

Our guest, Dr. Jonathan Schettino, is a licensed psychologist specializing in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders and OCD as well as research on approaches to psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. He received his AB in psychology from Princeton University in 2004 and his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from UCLA in 2012. He completed his predoctoral psychology internship at St. Elizabeths forensic psychiatric hospital in Washington DC and postdoctoral training in personality assessment research at Otto-Friedrich Universität in Bamberg, Germany. He owns a small private psychology practice in Baltimore and has an appointment as a research psychologist at the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins University. 

Our host, Gabe Howard, is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author. Gabe is also the host of the "Inside Bipolar" podcast with Dr. Nicole Washington.

Gabe makes his home in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. He lives with his supportive wife, Kendall, and a Miniature Schnauzer dog that he never wanted, but now can’t imagine life without. To book Gabe for your next event or learn more about him, please visit gabehoward.com.

This episode has been sponsored by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA).