Author Type

Undergraduate Student

Date of Award

Spring 5-2-2022

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

June 2026

College Granting Degree

Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Erica Young

Thesis/Dissertation Co-Chair

Gregory Macleod

Abstract

In recent years, the numbers of psychiatric cases have nearly doubled. While some treatments options are available, an increase in the prevalence of treatment-resistant mental health disorders represent a need to develop other therapeutics for maladaptive behavioral management. Currently, the serotonergic psychedelic LSD, ketamine, psilocybin, and MDMA in the micro-dosing form are being investigated for their efficacy in the treatment-resistant individuals. Ongoing trials indicate that not only are psychedelics efficacious and safe in the micro-dosing form, but this form of medication may provide both immediate and long-term relief. There is evidence to show that all four aforementioned hallucinogens are capable of precipitating a change in maladaptive thinking into more constructive thought processes and healthy behaviors. These psychedelics still await FDA approval, but they represent exciting potential as transformative therapeutics for application to treatment-resistant mental health disorders.

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