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Classic Psychedelics and Rational Suicide in the Elderly: Exploring the Potential Utility of a Reemerging Treatment Paradigm

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Rational Suicide in the Elderly

Abstract

The objective of the current chapter is to evaluate the potential utility of classic psychedelics including dimethyltryptamine (found in the Amazonian plant decoction ayahuasca), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), mescaline (found in peyote and other psychoactive cacti), and psilocybin (found in certain mushrooms) in addressing rational suicide among the elderly. An overview of the sociopolitical history of classic psychedelics is presented, followed by an examination of empirical findings pertaining to rational suicide. This chapter concludes that classic psychedelics may counteract rational suicide among the elderly by promoting the perception that life is worth living even in the face of great adversity and encourages future study on this important topic.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Behavior, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1665 University Boulevard, Birmingham, AL, 35233, USA

    Peter S. Hendricks Ph.D.

  2. Department of Psychiatry, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Charles S. Grob M.D.

Authors
  1. Peter S. Hendricks Ph.D.
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  2. Charles S. Grob M.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peter S. Hendricks Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA

    Robert E. McCue

  2. Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA

    Meera Balasubramaniam

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Hendricks, P.S., Grob, C.S. (2017). Classic Psychedelics and Rational Suicide in the Elderly: Exploring the Potential Utility of a Reemerging Treatment Paradigm. In: McCue, R., Balasubramaniam, M. (eds) Rational Suicide in the Elderly. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32672-6_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-32672-6_14

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-32670-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-32672-6

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