Psychedelics have long been used in a societal sense, specifically in indigenous cultures, however such compounds did not receive significant attention from the scientific community until the 1940s. During this period over one thousand clinical papers were published on classic psychedelics during this period, generating preliminary evidence that when administered in the context of psychotherapy, classic psychedelics show promise for treating end-of-life psychiatric distress, addiction, and major depressive disorder. These psychedelic compounds were unique in that they showed very low tendency for dependency, overdoses, or addiction. However soon after non medical classic psychedelic use prompted backlash, putting an end to nearly all psychedelic research as marginalization, paucity in government funding, and regulations made such research difficult. However, recent clinical research has been primarily focused on the classic psychedelic psilocybin, and there has been increasing evidence to support the effectiveness of psilocybin in the context of treating psychiatric disorders.

Psilocybin is the active component in the psychedelic drug known as “magic mushroom”. The compound works on the human brain by activating serotonin 5-HT2A receptors. 5-HT2A serotonin receptor activation often produces dream-like effects with an aware and intuitive hallucinatory experience. Psilocybin has the potential to increase certain cognitive traits associated with creativity such as varied thinking and the emotional effects of psilocybin include a broadening in the range of emotions felt during the duration of exposure to psilocybin, increased accessibility to emotions, and intensification of feelings {Kargbo2020}. Compared to other mind-altering drugs, the harm potential for psilocybin is relatively low {Kargbo2020}. Results from previous clinical trials suggest evidence to support the effectiveness of psilocybin therapy on multiple psychiatric disorders. Growing evidence suggests the effectiveness of psilocybin therapy in producing antidepressant effects for individuals’ undergoing severe states of depression as the drug enables feelings of playfulness and laughter {Kargbo2020}. In addition, when comparing the effects of a low versus high psilocybin dose on measures of depressed mood, anxiety, and quality of life, as well as measures of short-term and enduring changes in attitudes and behavior in patients with a life-threatening cancer diagnosis, the administration of a single dose of psilocybin produced significant and enduring decreases in depressed mood and anxiety {Griffiths2016}. 

Despite increasing interest in psychedelic-assisted therapy, insights into psychiatrists’ knowledge and opinions about medicinal psychedelic applications are surprisingly narrow. As the clinical applications of psilocybin-induced therapy are becoming more widely-supported, opinions are shifting. Although psychedelic involvement in medicine is gaining popularity, many people remain hesitant and openness to providing psilocybin-assisted therapy is limited due to many factors including fear of the unknown, unanswered questions, potential risks, long-standing stigma towards psychedelic use, and the paucity of education regarding their medical use. While psilocybin-induced therapy continues to undergo trials, this study aimed to assess current attitudes amongst clinicians, providing an interesting perspective on a widely controversial topic. By surveying clinicians throughout the nation, the survey intended to determine the majority attitude and awareness regarding psilocybin use in the medical world amongst clinicians and the factors that influence these attitudes.