Psychopathology and psychedelics

PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND PSYCHEDELICS

Applied psychopathology to psychedelics refers to the study of the effects of these substances on psychopathology, that is, on mental disorders and abnormal psychological processes. Although psychedelics have shown therapeutic potential in the treatment of various conditions, it is important to understand how they interact with psychopathological disorders and what considerations should be taken into account when using them in a clinical setting.

In this course, you will learn about the most common mental disorders, their diagnostic criteria, epidemiology, nosology, descriptive phenomenology, and treatment.

The course will specifically focus on the risks and benefits associated with psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy to ensure safe and effective practice. It will also encourage reflection and debate on the etiology of these disorders, presenting new cross-cutting classification criteria proposed through psychedelic research, which could explain their transdiagnostic utility.

GOALS

By participating in this course, it is expected that students will:

FACILITATORS

Oscar Soto

Óscar Soto Angona is a psychiatrist, researcher, and therapist. He graduated in Medicine from the University of Valladolid and specialized in Psychiatry at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, where he has also conducted research and clinical work in the Resistant Depression Program. He is a doctoral candidate at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, with a particular interest in the phenomenology of altered states of consciousness induced by psychedelics and their therapeutic potential. He has served as a sub-investigator or therapist in various clinical trials involving psychedelics, including esketamine, psilocybin, MDMA, and 5-MeO-DMT. He is the president and founder of the Spanish Society of Psychedelic Medicine.

Adriana Fortea

Adriana Fortea is a graduate in medicine from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, specialized in Psychiatry at the Hospital Clínic, and holds a master’s degree in Legal Psychiatry from the Complutense University of Madrid. She currently works as a Psychiatrist and is a reference point for the prevention and treatment program for psychological sequelae in victims of sexual assault at the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona. In parallel, she conducts research using multimodal neuroimaging techniques in psychosis and post-traumatic stress disorder at the IDIBAPS-FCRB. She is also a researcher affiliated with CIBERSAM (Spanish Network for Research in Mental Health).

Oscar Alvarez

Oscar Alvarez. Specializing in family medicine, psychiatry, and medical psychotherapy, and a member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, this individual has practiced psychiatry for 20 years in various countries around the world (Ireland, Australia, England, and Spain), with notable experience in the field of preventive psychiatry (ORYGEN Youth Health), neuropsychiatry (Royal Melbourne Neuropsychiatric Unit), and personality disorders (SPECTRUM). Currently, they work as a psychiatrist and researcher at Parc Sanitari Sant Joan de Deu, specializing in severe mental disorders, personality disorders (Day Hospital), and transcultural psychiatry (SATMI). They serve as the Principal Investigator at the Sant Joan de Deu Research Foundation and have led a clinical trial evaluating the efficacy of psilocybin in treatment-resistant depression. They are also currently involved as a researcher in various clinical trials with psilocybin, 5-MeO-DMT, and DMT for depression. Additionally, they are a co-founder and secretary of the Spanish Society of Psychedelic Medicine and a committed practitioner of Vajrayana Buddhism.

Santiago Madero

Santiago Madero is a psychiatrist. He currently works at the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona and as a predoctoral researcher at IDIBAPS. He is a doctoral candidate at the University of Barcelona. He is the vice-president and founding member of the Spanish Society of Psychedelic Medicine (SEMPSi) and collaborates with Kiyumi, a group that provides psilocybin retreat services in the Netherlands. He is the author and co-author of various publications in the field of psychiatry, including psychosis, depressive disorders, bipolar disorders, and neurobiological correlates in mental disorders. He is also an investigator and therapist in several clinical trials involving psychedelics. He is the director and co-founder of Clinica Delos, which focuses on providing psychotherapeutic services and is designed to offer specialized ketamine-assisted therapy services.