by Nathania Bestwick NIHR Newcastle PSRC PhD student
I was grateful to travel to London for the PSYCH Symposium 2025 on Thursday, 4th December. This symposium brings together researchers, therapists, doctors, policymakers, investors, and campaigners to talk about the latest research in psychedelic medicine and how psychedelic therapies may be used in mainstream healthcare to treat mental health conditions.
I attended the symposium with Radin Karimi, another PhD student from the NIHR Newcastle Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC). Like my own work, Radin’s research looks at how to better manage polypharmacy (which is when people take many different medicines at the same time). Medicines used to treat mental health conditions often add to this problem, so we were interested to find out if psychedelic therapies might help people manage their mental health so they can take fewer medicines. We were also keen to learn how patient safety is managed in this developing area of research.
The symposium focused on a range of conditions, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, addiction, eating disorders and distress near the end of life, particularly for people who have not responded to more commonly used treatments. Speakers shared evidence showing that psychedelic medicine, such as psilocybin, MDMA and ibogaine, can help to ease symptoms in people with these conditions. They also explained that psychedelic therapies may help people process deeper emotional problems behind their symptoms, which can lead to longer-lasting improvements in well-being. Several speakers had worked with military veterans and shared how these therapies have helped them manage PTSD, support their mental health, and feel better in everyday life after leaving the military.
Patient safety was a major focus throughout the symposium. Research in this area is strictly regulated, with people being carefully checked (called screening) before they’re invited to take part, and with study information being clearly explained so that people can make an informed choice when agreeing to join a study. Therapies are provided in carefully controlled and supportive treatment spaces by highly trained therapists and healthcare professionals, with close monitoring during sessions, and follow-up support after the treatment to help people understand their experiences and get the best results from the treatment.
Professors David Nutt and Guy Goodwin had an interesting discussion about recent results from a large study which showed that a single dose of synthetic psilocybin helped people with severe, long-lasting depression, with higher doses leading to bigger improvements in symptoms. They also spoke about drug laws creating stigma around psychedelic research, even though there is growing evidence that these substances can have real health benefits and that they may be less harmful than legal drugs, such as alcohol and tobacco.
One example of how psychedelic medicine is being used in standard healthcare came from Professor Ranil Gunewardene, who described how he is leading one of the first clinics in Australia to offer regulated psychedelic-assisted therapy. Since his research is with patients who have complex health conditions (called real-world patients), it may give us helpful insight into how these therapies can be used outside of highly controlled research environments.
In summary, the symposium showed that psychedelic medicine has promising potential to improve care for people with mental health conditions, particularly those that are difficult to treat. It also highlighted that more research is needed and that building upon the current evidence base will help us better understand how effective and safe these treatments are, and how they can be carefully and appropriately used as part of standard healthcare.
Details and bios for each of the speakers can be found here