It is vital that medical professionals and clients have access to telemedicine for medication management of controlled substances utilized for therapeutic treatment.
As a clinician I have witnessed clients who experience severe PTSD, Treatment Resistant Depression, Suicidal Ideations and Traumatic Grief experience levels of peace, calm, rest, resolve and relief with the assistance of Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (something they haven’t experienced in years).
Currently, I have several waitlisted clients who I am unable to serve in a timely manner due to the limited local physicians who are trained in this therapeutic method that feel comfortable prescribing these helpful medicines due to the controversy of DEA Rulings.
Let me be clear, they are uncomfortable prescribing these helpful medicines via telemedicine because of the controversy of DEA Rulings even though they are aware and are in agreement of the evidenced based research that supports the medicine’s effectiveness when utilized in therapeutic treatment.
The National Alliance on Mental Health reported the following statistics within our state…
In 2019, Suicide was the leading cause of death in the state of Alabama.
In 2022, Alabama ranked 50 out of 51 states in it’s ability to provide their residents with access to mental health care.
In 2021, it is was reported that over 800,000 adults in the state of Alabama have mental health conditions and more than half of those individuals did not receive treatment due to the lack of access to care and lack of insurance and/or affordability.
According to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry…
In 2017, 8.9 million adults were diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and treated with medication.
30. 9% (approx. 2.8 million) of those adults diagnosed with MDD were considered to have Treatment Resistant Depression.
In 2017, it cost the United States $92.7 billion dollars to provide medication treatment for adults with Major Depressive Disorder.
47.2% ($43.8 billion) was used to cover the cost of Treatment for adults experiencing Treatment Resistant Depression.
Some additional interesting facts about PTSD include:
70 percent of adults experience at least one traumatic event in their lifetime
20 percent of people who experience a traumatic event will develop PTSD
About 8 million people have PTSD in a given year
1 in 13 people will develop PTSD at some point in their life
36.6 percent of adults experience serious impairment
49 percent of rape victims will develop PTSD
Nearly 32 percent of victims of severe physical assault develop PTSD
16.8 percent of people who are involved in serious accidents, such as car or train accidents, develop PTSD
15.4 percent of shooting and stabbing victims develop PTSD
14.3 percent of people who suddenly and unexpectedly experience the death of a close loved one develop PTSD
Parents of children with life-threatening illnesses develop PTSD 10.4 percent of the time
Witnessing the murder or serious injury or another person causes PTSD in 7.3 percent of people
3.8 percent of people who experience natural disasters develop PTSD
Sidran Institute Traumatic Stress Education and Advocacy 2022
How Common is PTSD in Adults? - PTSD: National Center for PTSD (va.gov)
Mental Health America Adult Data 2022
Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy has the ability to assist individuals experiencing PTSD, Treatment Resistant Depression, Suicidal Ideations, Anxiety, Addiction and Grief.
Recent Clinical Trials on Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy have found that:
65% of individuals who participated in psychedelic-assisted therapy reported a reduction in anxiety
67% of individuals who participated in a MDMA Assisted Therapy clinical study through MAPS – Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies, no longer met the criteria for PTSD after 2 months of treatment.
Through the participation of psylocibin assisted therapy individuals have been able to reduce addictions, quit smoking and minimize eating disorders.
Currently Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy has shown to be a helpful treatment for eating disorders, treatment resistant depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and ptsd.
MDMA and Psylocibin is projected to be FDA approved in the United States by 2025.
30% to 50% of individuals who experience depression and anxiety, as a result of prolonged and/or chronic traumatic life experiences, do not respond to antidepressants, mood stabilizers and/or traditional talk therapy.
Psychedelic Assisted Therapy provides additional options and HOPE for individuals who have been unsuccessful with traditional medication management and/or talk therapies. https://maps.org/
This means that individuals who experience severe emotional, psychological and somatic pains have options that can help bring them resolve and relief, allowing them to live a better quality of life. Not only for themselves, but for their communities and the people that they love.
How amazing this medicine can be when utilized in therapeutic treatment. In order to utilize this medicine in therapeutic treatment, medical professionals and clients need to have the accessibility of telemedicine to provide medication management.
Telemedicine helps to provide access by connecting clients/patients to medical professionals who have been trained in psychedelic treatment for mental health. Telemedicine also helps to provide access by reducing the overall costs and affordability to this treatment.
Help us provide safe, accessible and affordable services by writing a brief support statement requesting Federal Regulations that allow medical professionals to prescribe controlled substances for psychotherapeutic treatment via telemedicine.
I have attached a link to an article written by a medical professional, Dr. Hillary Lin, who I have had the pleasure of training with at Polaris Insight Center in San Francisco, California. Her article breaks down the DEA Ruling and how it can affect delivery and cost of Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy.
Lastly, I am attaching the link where you can write a brief statement of support requesting Federal Regulations allow medical professionals to prescribe controlled substances for psychotherapeutic treatment via telemedicine.
THANK YOU for helping us better serve our clients and community