In 2020, an authoritative review article by Collin M. Reiff and colleagues on psychedelics and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy appeared in the American Journal of Psychiatry. The article was written on behalf of the Research Working Group of the American Psychiatric Association — an important signal that the mainstream of psychiatry has started taking the subject seriously.

The authors discuss five substances that were most researched at the time: MDMA, psilocybin, LSD, ayahuasca, and ibogaine. For each substance, the mechanisms of action, clinical applications, effect sizes, and side effects are listed.

Regarding PTSD, it is notable that MDMA is already further along in research than the other substances. For depression, psilocybin studies are promising, especially in people with a life-threatening illness or treatment-resistant depression. For addiction problems, research into ibogaine and ayahuasca is described, but the evidence in this area is still limited.

An important merit of the article is the attention paid to warnings. Reiff and colleagues emphasize risks for people with psychotic vulnerability, the importance of careful screening, the role of set and setting, and the fact that many available studies are small and employ strict selection criteria. The results therefore cannot simply be translated to the broader population.

For many psychiatrists, the article was their first systematic introduction to this field. It set the tone for later guidelines and discussions within American professional associations, and has since been widely cited internationally.