Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Careful consideration is needed before translation of psychedelic-assisted therapies to adolescent populations. The therapeutic potential of psychedelics' neuroplastic effects must be weighed against adolescents' heightened sensitivity and constrained autonomy. Compared to typical adults, adolescents are more dependent on, and less able to modify, the environment in which their mental distress emerges. The reduced autonomy of adolescents, coupled with the pro-plasticity effects of psychedelics, necessitates a framework that considers the family system and broader social matrix as determinants of therapeutic outcomes. This approach emphasises comprehensive screening, family involvement, and enhanced integration support to ensure safe, effective, and ethically sound interventions for this vulnerable population.
Bio:
Eddie Jacobs is a DPhil researcher at the University of Oxford's Department of Psychiatry and research fellow at the Oxford Centre for Ethics and Humanities. His work focuses on the bioethical dimensions of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, particularly regarding patient experience and vulnerable populations. He led the drafting of the Hopkins-Oxford Psychedelic Ethics (HOPE) Consensus Statement and previously supported the Beckley Foundation's science and policy programs. He tweets @EddieTalksDrugs.
Careful consideration is needed before translation of psychedelic-assisted therapies to adolescent populations. The therapeutic potential of psychedelics' neuroplastic effects must be weighed against adolescents' heightened sensitivity and constrained autonomy. Compared to typical adults, adolescents are more dependent on, and less able to modify, the environment in which their mental distress emerges. The reduced autonomy of adolescents, coupled with the pro-plasticity effects of psychedelics, necessitates a framework that considers the family system and broader social matrix as determinants of therapeutic outcomes. This approach emphasises comprehensive screening, family involvement, and enhanced integration support to ensure safe, effective, and ethically sound interventions for this vulnerable population.
Bio:
Eddie Jacobs is a DPhil researcher at the University of Oxford's Department of Psychiatry and research fellow at the Oxford Centre for Ethics and Humanities. His work focuses on the bioethical dimensions of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, particularly regarding patient experience and vulnerable populations. He led the drafting of the Hopkins-Oxford Psychedelic Ethics (HOPE) Consensus Statement and previously supported the Beckley Foundation's science and policy programs. He tweets @EddieTalksDrugs.
