Læknablaðið - 01.11.2023, Side 19

L ÆKNABL AÐIÐ 2023/109 503
R A N N S Ó K N
E N G L I S H S U M M A R Y
Psychedelics and treatment of mental disorders: A survey of attitudes and knowledge among psychiatrists,
general practitioners and psychologists in Iceland
INTRODUCTION: Interest in the use of psychedelics has increased following reports of their possible
therapeutic potential. However, little is known about the knowledge of and attitudes towards
the substances among health care professional who provide treatment for mental disorders in
Iceland. An online survey was therefore conducted among members of the Icelandic associations of
psychiatrists, general practitioners and psychologists.
METHODS: Respondents were 256 in total, including 177 psychologists, 38 psychiatrists and 41
general practitioners that provided information on their background, type of work, knowledge of
and attitude towards different types of psychedelic substances and their views on optimal service
delivery if psychedelics were approved by licencing authorities and used for treatment.
RESULTS: Around half of psychiatrists reported having received questions about treatment with
psychedelics in their clinical work, compared to only 14,6% of general practitioners and 17,5% of
psychologists. The majority of respondents had little, or no knowledge of the substances targeted
in the survey. A majority also expressed negative attitudes towards treatment with psilocybin
mushrooms, but was positive towards ongoing scientific research and felt that such a treatment
should be prescribed and provided by psychiatrists. Moreover, the majority view was that psilocybin
treatment should be provided in specialised clinics or psychiatric units in a hospital setting.
Scientific articles on the topic, discussions with colleagues and information in the media were
identified as having had most influence on respondents´ attitudes towards psychedelics. Most
respondents were interested in further education on psychedelics.
CONCLUSIONS: Respondents among these three professions felt that the time has not yet come
to use psychedelics in the treatment of mental disorders in Iceland but thought more education on
psychedelics, their potential efficacy and adverse health effects is important given the increased
interest in psychedelics.
doi 10.17992/lbl.2023.11.766
Ragnar P. Ólafsson1
Karól Kvaran1
Kristín Ketilsdóttir1
Kolbrún Hallgrímsdóttir1
Emil L. Sigurðsson2,3
Engilbert Sigurðsson2,4
1Faculty of Psychology, University of Iceland,
2Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, 3Landspitali
University Hospital, Mental Health Services, Reykjavík,
4Development Centre for Primary Healthcare in Iceland.
Correspondence: Ragnar P. Ólafsson, ragnarpo@hi.is
Key words: psychedelics, attitude, survey, psychiatrists,
general practitioners, psychologists.
utfall
PROFESSOR
i obstetrik och gynekologi med
inriktning mot obstetrik, förenad
med anställning som överläkare vid
Sahlgrenska universitetssjukhuset.
Ref nr: PAR 2023/623
Sista ansökningsdag: 2023-11-27
För mer information se vår hemsida:
www.gu.se/omuniversitetet/aktuellt/lediga-jobb
56 000 studenter och 6 600 medarbetare gör Göteborgs
universitet till en stor och inspirerande arbetsplats. Stark
forskning och attraktiva utbildningar lockar forskare och
studenter från hela världen. Med ny kunskap och nya
perspektiv bidrar vi till en bättre framtid.