The Pharmacology and Clinical Applications of Psychedelic Medicines Within Midwifery Practice.

The research and use of psychedelic medicines to treat common mental health disorders has increased substantially in the past 2 decades. At the same time, knowledge is relatively uncommon among midwives regarding (1) the relative benefits of psychedelic-assisted therapy, (2) best practices associated with the delivery of psychedelic-assisted therapy, and (3) responsible integration of this potentially useful intervention into mental health treatment plans. The purpose of this review is to describe current applications of psychedelic medicines to treat common mental health disorders, to describe the current legal status of these medicines used in this context, and to explore the potential for midwifery practice in this area with further training. This article also addresses the disparities regarding LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC populations in relation to this topic and their historical exclusion from research and treatment access in this field.

Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy: Emerging Treatments in Mental Health Disorders

Psychedelics are a class of psychoactive substances that were studied extensively between 1943 and 1970 as potential therapies for treating a host of mental health disorders, including addiction. Despite promising early results, U.S. psychedelic research was halted in the early 1970s with the enactment of the Controlled Substances Act. As the field of psychedelic-assisted therapy develops, nurses can decide the role they will play in the continuing clinical and scholarly research of these substances, which may soon be used in controlled settings to treat some of the most widespread mental health disorders. To prepare for this task, this article proposes that nurses * become familiar with the history, relevant language, and scientific findings related to the field of psychedelic research. * learn about existing psychedelic-assisted therapy and research resources. * examine their thoughts, judgments, and opinions about therapeutic psychedelic use. * consider the potential role of nursing in psychedelic-assisted therapies going forward.

Palliative Nursing and Sacred Medicine: A Holistic Stance on Entheogens, Healing, and Spiritual Care.

The fields of palliative and holistic nursing both maintain a commitment to the care of the whole person, including a focus on spiritual care. Advanced serious illness may pose a plethora of challenges to patients seeking to create meaning and purpose in their lives. The purpose of this article is to introduce scholarly dialogue on the integration of entheogens, medicines that engender an experience of the sacred, into the spiritual and holistic care of patients experiencing advanced serious illness. A brief history of the global use of entheogens as well as a case study are provided. Clinical trials show impressive preliminary findings regarding the healing potential of these medicinal agents. While other professions, such as psychology, pharmacy, and medicine, are disseminating data related to patient outcomes secondary to entheogen administration, the nursing literature has not been involved in raising awareness of such advancements. Research is illustrating their effectiveness in achieving integrative experiences for patients confronting advanced serious illness and their ability to promote presence, introspection, decreased fear, and increased joy and acceptance. Evidence-based knowledge surrounding this potentially sensitive topic is necessary to invite understanding, promote scientific knowledge development, and create healing environments for patients, nurses, and researchers alike.

The course of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms after foster placement.

BACKGROUND: It is largely unknown whether symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity of foster children decline over time after placement and what the role of the quality and stability of the foster placement is on the course of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptom trajectories. Longitudinal studies of normative trajectories of symptom types in nonreferred children may assist in appropriately diagnosing ADHD and designing the clinical treatment for foster children. OBJECTIVE: We described average level and slope of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms over time and examined parental (biological and foster) warmth and hostility and placement stability (number of foster-home moves and discharge from care) as reported by 3 informants (biological parent, foster parent, and classroom teacher) after considering maltreatment risks (child age, gender, sibling ADHD, and comorbidity) and use of ADHD medication. METHODS: We studied 252 maltreated children in 95 families during 4 yearly waves, beginning shortly after placement; children were assessed whether they remained in or were discharged from foster care. RESULTS: Average level of inattention declined according to the biological parent, whereas hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms declined according to both biological and foster parents. Higher inattention was associated with lower parental warmth (foster parent), higher parental hostility (biological, foster, and teacher), and discharge from care (biological parent). Higher hyperactivity was also associated with lower parental warmth (foster parent) and higher parental hostility (biological and foster parent), higher (average) number of foster-home moves, and discharge from care (biological report). Higher teacher-derived hyperactivity symptoms were associated with a history of child abuse (versus neglect); however, abused children showed a steeper decline of hyperactivity over time than those with neglect histories. Unexpected interactions were found for the impact over time of parental (foster) warmth and number of foster-home moves. CONCLUSION: Findings point to the clinical usefulness of attending to the parenting quality and placement stability as malleable factors affecting symptom reduction subsequent to placement.

An Integrated Approach to Treating Non-Offending Parents Affected by Sexual Abuse.

Childhood sexual abuse has been associated with a number of serious physical and psychological consequences throughout childhood and into adulthood for both child victims and their families. This paper describes the preliminary outcomes of a pilot group program to treat non-offending parents of sexually abused children. This group program is integrative in its approach combining elements of trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral and psychoeducational/supportive interventions to treat non-offending parents of sexually abused children. This study also focuses on outcomes in terms of parental post-traumatic distress and general family functioning.A small group of non-offending parents was recruited from a local child advocacy agency. Parents attended the twelve-week group program and outcomes such as parent post-traumatic stress and family dysfunction were examined. Measures of overall satisfaction and intervention feasibility were also examined at the end of the group intervention.Favorable outcomes included a decrease in parent self-report of post-traumatic stress and select aspects of family dysfunction. Seventy five percent of parents completed the group program. Satisfaction questionnaire responses demonstrated highly favorable perceptions of the group's content, leaders, and helpfulness.This study served as an initial step in the development of larger family-focused interventions involving parallel parent and child groups and focused family sessions. Outcomes may begin to shed some light on the need for more parent- and family-focused interventions in families that have been affected by sexual abuse.