Journeying to Ixtlan Ethics of Psychedelic Medicine and Research for Alzheimers Disease and Related Dementias.
In this paper, we examine the case of psychedelic medicine for Alzheimers disease and related dementias (ADADRD). These mind-altering drugs are not currently offered as treatments to persons with ADADRD, though there is growing interest in their use to treat underlying causes and associated psychiatric symptoms. We present a research agenda for examining the ethics of psychedelic medicine and research involving persons living with ADADRD, and offer preliminary analyses of six ethical issues the impact of psychedelics on autonomy and consent the impact of ego dissolution on persons experiencing a pathology of self how psychedelics might impact caregiving the potential exploitation of patient desperation institutional review boards orientation to psychedelic research and methods to mitigate inequity. These ethical issues are magnified for ADADRD but bear broader relevance to psychedelic medicine and research in other clinical populations.