Why Aren’t Psychedelics Available for Dementia Patients?

You’re hearing it here first - we advocate for the use of psychedelic therapies to assist people who have been newly diagnosed with dementia. 

There are certain diagnoses that no one wants ever. At the top of the list for many people is dementia. In many ways it is a diagnosis worse than many cancers. And if you’ve witnessed someone decline from dementia it’s heartbreaking. It’s easy to feel helpless and hopeless. 

Something that was unexpected spending time regularly in a dementia care facility, was seeing a divide among the patients in the advanced stages. There were the happy people and the sad people. It was a very clear delineation, and their states of being were pretty much constant. 

At first it seemed to be a singular observation, that is, until another person in a group visiting noted the same. They specifically wondered why their parent seemed to be one of the sad people. 

Startling Dementia Statistics

There are 55+ million people in the world with dementia - BUT - that number is expected to grow to 78 million by 2030 and 139 million by 2050. Every 3 seconds someone develops dementia. 

What Would You Want to Think About If You Were Stuck in an Altered Mental State? 

If you learned you had dementia, would you or would you not want to immediately start dealing with any mental health issues like depression and anxiety? Given what we know about dementia (a dreadfully small amount) and observations that have been made, you may want to err on the side of caution and see a therapist.

There are connections between dementia and negative thought patterns. In all cases it seems beneficial to address negative thought patterns as both a preventative measure and therapy for dementia.

Because here’s the kicker. When you have advanced dementia it’s near impossible to form new memories and perspectives, which means addressing mental health issues is not possible. But even people with advanced dementia don’t lose total sense of self. Research has shown people feel how they felt at the time of the diagnosis or before it. 

Fast intervention with fast-acting psychedelic therapies could be highly beneficial for anyone who has struggled with depression, trauma or anxiety in the past. As soon as someone is diagnosed with dementia improving their mental health and mental state should be a top priority. . 

Cancer Patients Are Already Receiving Psychedelic Therapy to Deal With a “Death Sentence”

Would you or would you not want assistance wrapping your head around a death sentence diagnosis? More and more cancer patients are answering “yes” to the idea of psychedelic therapy as a way of dealing with the emotions of mortality. 

Research shows that psychedelics like psilocybin can reduce depression in cancer patients. It reduces worry, fear, despair, sadness and anxiety in people who are fighting for their lives. There’s no real downside. Improving a patient’s mental state actually improves their response to treatments. And if they don’t respond it at least makes their final months or years more enjoyable. 

So, why aren’t we doing the same for dementia patients? They are likely already having difficulty mentally dealing with it all given the symptoms of the disease. It would seem like they need psychedelic-assisted therapy as much or more than a cancer patient given all the factors at play.

It will be interesting to see if the field of psychedelic research begins to focus on therapies for dementia patients. Until we find a cure, it’s one of the best things we can do for the millions of people living with dementia today.

If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with dementia, find a psychedelic therapist who can provide assistance.