Nearly 9% of individuals may experience functional impairment for more than a day following a challenging psychedelic trip, with 2.6% seeking professional help and 6% contemplating self-harm or harm to others, most commonly manifesting as anxiety.

The most serious risks in psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) stem from the understudied therapeutic component, particularly the interactions between therapists and patients receiving high doses of psychedelics, necessitating interdisciplinary research approaches free from conflicts of interest.

In a phase 3 trial of MDMA for PTSD, 7% of participants reported increased feelings of suicidality, underscoring the need for careful monitoring and support during treatment.

To ensure the safe development and use of new psychedelic substances, it is crucial to implement non-clinical screening strategies that balance benefits and harms, including early-stage pharmacological characterization, detection of hallucinogenic activity, differentiation between hallucinogens and entactogens, and evaluation of abuse and dependence risks.

As classic psychedelics gain potential therapeutic recognition, there is a pressing need for modern, systematic assessments of their abuse potential to ensure public safety and inform possible rescheduling of these substances.

"Psychedelic-Supportive Psychotherapy" provides a legally and ethically aligned model for therapists to enhance harm reduction by supporting clients' emotional and psychological growth through and beyond their psychedelic experiences.

12% of ayahuasca users experience functional impairment lasting over a day, often leading to seeking psychological help, with common adverse effects including social disconnection, anxiety, low mood, and feeling energetically attacked.

Personal psychedelic use by researchers could compromise the objectivity and ethical integrity of psychedelic studies, raising concerns about bias and conflict of interest in the field.

The development and approval of psychedelic substances for medicinal use, such as psilocybin, LSD, and MDMA, must navigate complex regulatory frameworks, and their potential for abuse necessitates careful risk evaluation, mitigation strategies, and alternative research approaches to ensure safety and therapeutic effectiveness.

While psychedelics like psilocybin, MDMA, and LSD show promise for treating psychiatric disorders, current evidence is insufficient to support their routine use, and their long-term safety and efficacy remain unclear.