I'm a second year medical student with a longtime interest in the potential benefits of psychedelic therapy for addiction and mood disorders. I would love to be able to involve myself in furthering our understanding of these potent chemicals to help people cope with mental illness, but there are so many roadblocks, and I have some questions that I hope you can clear up:
1) Is this field of research open only to psychiatrists? Are there ways for other specialties to be involved in this kind of research? While I haven't begun clinical rotations yet, I currently feel most drawn to surgery, but the allure of research into consciousness-altering chemicals for therapy is a big draw towards psychiatry to me as well. Do other specialties collaborate on these research projects?
2) Where in a medical career would it be possible to begin to involve myself? This kind of research is still fairly fringe (although changing because of your efforts - thank you!), and I feel that to get involved now would be a phenomenal way to torpedo my residency application. Is this kind of research the realm of only established professors at academic medical centers?
Thank you so much for your answers and all the work you put into this field. I look forward to the day when we'll see the fruits of these enter mainstream clinical practice.
Inner_Head_Space347 karma
I'm a second year medical student with a longtime interest in the potential benefits of psychedelic therapy for addiction and mood disorders. I would love to be able to involve myself in furthering our understanding of these potent chemicals to help people cope with mental illness, but there are so many roadblocks, and I have some questions that I hope you can clear up:
1) Is this field of research open only to psychiatrists? Are there ways for other specialties to be involved in this kind of research? While I haven't begun clinical rotations yet, I currently feel most drawn to surgery, but the allure of research into consciousness-altering chemicals for therapy is a big draw towards psychiatry to me as well. Do other specialties collaborate on these research projects?
2) Where in a medical career would it be possible to begin to involve myself? This kind of research is still fairly fringe (although changing because of your efforts - thank you!), and I feel that to get involved now would be a phenomenal way to torpedo my residency application. Is this kind of research the realm of only established professors at academic medical centers?
Thank you so much for your answers and all the work you put into this field. I look forward to the day when we'll see the fruits of these enter mainstream clinical practice.
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