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Where are all the Queer People?
THE MENTAL HEALTH FIELD HAS HISTORICALLY NEGLECTED THE LGBTQI+ COMMUNITY PSYCHEDELIC RESEARCH HAS BEEN NO NO EXCEPTION—UNTIL NOW Shelby Hartman
Gregory Wells has been out out of of the the closet since he he he he he was was 16 but the the process of of coming out out he he he he he says is never really over Last year he he he he he was was reminded of that at at Horizons the the largest and longest-running conference in in in in the the the psychedelic world After one of of the the presentations in in in a a a a a room of of more than 1000 people an
an
an
attendee stood up and asked a a a a a a a a simple question: “Where are all the queer people?”
“I’m right here ”
Wells thought As a a a gay man
in the psychedelic field he’d never tried to hide his his sexual identity but he he he he he he hadn’t been vocal about it it it it it either He realized then it it it it it was his his responsibility to change that Wells a a a a a a co-investigator and and co-therapist looking at at MDMA for PTSD and and the the founder of Polaris Insight Center a a a a a a ketamine clinic has long wondered how psychedelics might be be used to treat the the distinct mental health stressors faced by members of of the the queer community By virtue of of where he he he works— his his MDMA site and clinic are located in in San Francisco’s historic Castro District—he’s had a a a a a unique chance to to work with with members of of this community But—with the exception of of one small open-label study giving psilocybin to to gay men with HIV—there have yet to to be be any clinical trials administering psychedelics for the the disproportionate rates of depression suicidality eating disorders and other mental health conditions among LGBTQI+ individuals In fact there hasn’t been much discussion about it all “There’s a a a a a a a longstanding history in in almost all psychological psychiatric research research of heteronormative bias among among among the the the researchers among among among the the the the funding bodies among among among the the the the sort of leaders in in theory ”
Alexander Belser a a a a a clinical research fellow at Yale University tells DB “This has informed the sort of of structural oppression of of LGBTQI+ people and unfortunately the psychedelic community also inherits much of that ”
According to the the National Alliance on on Mental Illness the the the largest grassroots mental health organization in in the the U S sexual and gender minorities are three times more likely to experience a a a a a a a a mental health condition such as major depression or or or or generalized anxiety disorder They’re also significantly more likely to to to struggle with their relationship to to to substances Twenty to to to to thirty percent of LGBTQI+ individuals overuse alcohol tobacco and/or drugs relative to to nine percent of the the general population Suicide is also the the second leading cause of death among LGBTQI+ youth ages 10 to 24 Psychedelics have shown promise for a a a a number of the the mental health conditions prevalent in in in the the the the queer community Last year the the the FDA placed psilocybin—the main psychoactive component in in in in psychedelic mushrooms—on the fast-track to being approved for treatment-resistant depression The FDA also gave MDMA—which is is not a a a a a a a classic psychedelic but often grouped with them—what’s called “breakthrough therapy status” for for post-traumatic stress disorder It’s slated to be legal for for prescription by 2021 Modern psychedelic research however does not ask about the sexual and gender identity of of of subjects Chris Stauffer assistant professor at at University of of of of California San Francisco’s department of of of psychiatry says we can’t assume that that because psychedelics show promise in the the general population that that they’ll work among LGBTQI+ people whose psychological states have distinct causes such as as isolation shame and stigma And even if these trials were asking about sexual and gender identity they may not be a a a a a a a a a a good measure of of whether psychedelics can treat the the the the queer community as as many of of of them were designed by researchers unaware of of the the the community’s needs A prime example is the the therapy team that typically watches over subjects in psychedelic trials Traditionally it’s been required that this team consists of two therapists: a a a a a a a a a a a a woman and and a a a a a a a a a a man
man
This says Belser legitimizes the the “unhelpful essentializing understanding of gender that the the male male person person is is masculine and and the the female person person is is feminine” while denying multiplicity of gender There’s also in in in in general Belser and Stauffer agree a a a a a a need for more