The RACGP’s expert said now was the time to ‘get this right’.
The Department of Veteran Affairs can now fund psychedelic assisted psychotherapy (PAP) using MDMA or psilocybin for eligible Veteran Card holders.
This comes after the TGA’s decision to allow for authorised psychiatrists to prescribe medicines containing MDMA and psilocybin.
MDMA would be used for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, whereas psilocybin will be prescribed for treatment-resistant depression.
With this move, Australia is now the global leader in this area of medicine, even while concern still lingers over the efficacy and safety of the treatment.
“It’s another option for our patients to get access to treatment for complex and unremitting conditions,” chair of RACGP Specific Interests Psychological Medicine Dr Karen Spielman told The Medical Republic.
Dr Spielman is a Sydney GP who works in chronic complex medical conditions including eating disorders and has expertise in mental health, youth health and trauma-informed care.
As a GP, Dr Spielman has also expressed her eagerness for how this new initiative will help lead the path for PAP and create further opportunities for GP and psychiatrist collaboration.
“There’s so much potential, both individually and systemically, for GPs and psychiatrists to collaborate to manage the increasing burden of distress and mental health conditions,” Dr Spielman told TMR.
“This is an area where it’s really important to get it right.
“It’s really important for GPs and psychiatrists to work better together to ensure that we’re selecting the right patients for the right treatments and managing the risks.”
Greater clinical scrutiny for the potential funding requests has been highlighted by the DVA as part of its standards on regulating emerging treatments.
PAP will be considered a fourth-line treatment option, meaning that evidence of multiple prior treatments of typical therapies have failed prior to consideration of PAP.
Breaking down the taboo surrounding PAP is set to be a speedbump for the initiative, with Dr Spielman expressing how this is a natural reaction to emerging treatments.
“Because the FDA in the US didn’t approve MDMA, maybe people are a little bit more anxious and more cautious about that, just trying to understand the pros and cons,” Dr Spielman told TMR.
“It’s a very different situation to be using these substances that have been properly produced and tested and dose monitored in a therapeutic environment compared to using it illicitly.
“We have to be super careful with new treatments, but we always are as GPs, aren’t we?
“We’re used to evaluating the risks for our patients all the time.”
