- Patient Bills of Rights are made available to patients in various settings across the mental health and medical fields to communicate clearly with patients about what they can expect from professionals
- The Patient Bill of Rights is a plain-language companion to the MAPS Code of Ethics for Psychedelic Psychotherapy
- The publication of the MAPS Patient Bill of Rights for Psychedelic Therapy is one of several important tools to inform patients about professional and ethical standards in anticipation of regulatory approval of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD
Today, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and its wholly-owned subsidiary responsible for organizing clinical research and training practitioners, MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC) published the MAPS Patient Bill of Rights for Psychedelic Therapy. Patient Bills of Rights are a standard tool across mental health and medical care which provide patients with the information they need to advocate for their rights and establish expectations for their rights in provision of care, privacy, non-discrimination, decision making, and information about their treatment plan.
In 2018, MAPS and MAPS PBC began developing the MAPS Code of Ethics for Psychedelic Psychotherapy, the foundational document to guide MDMA-assisted therapy practitioners in ethical provision of care. In 2019, staff began research for the Patient Bill of Rights, collecting and analyzing resources from the mental health and medical care fields. Experts, including university ethicists, therapists, and former participants, were consulted to adapt the language to the unique considerations of providing therapy catalyzed by MDMA or other non-ordinary states of consciousness.
The therapeutic relationship is a sacred container, and tools like Codes of Ethics and Patient Bills of Rights help hold that container by explicitly setting expectations for the provider and the patient. Patients should expect these tools to apply in any medical or mental health care setting, and they are particularly useful in psychedelic-assisted therapy, which presents unique considerations. Day-long sessions, emotional openness catalyzed by a non-ordinary state of consciousness, and the intensity of processing trauma over just a few months will be unique experiences for most patients. I’m grateful for the work of many talented experts and former participants who contributed to developing this resource.
Shannon Carlin, M.A., L.M.F.T., Chief of Therapy Training and Supervision, MAPS PBC
In clinical trials, Independent Review Boards are responsible for ethical oversight and resolution of grievances. As the MDMA Therapy Training Program expanded to train larger cohorts of therapists to provide therapy in FDA-authorized Phase 3 trials of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD, the MAPS Code of Ethics was developed to explicitly address the unique considerations of psychedelic-assisted therapy. Now, as the anticipated regulatory approval of MDMA-assisted therapy grows nearer, the Patient Bill of Rights for Psychedelic Therapy was developed to inform and empower future patients.
NOTE
The safety and efficacy of MDMA-assisted therapy is currently under investigation. It has not yet been approved by the FDA or other regulatory authorities, does not work for everyone, and carries risks even in therapeutic settings. These statements are no guarantee of future regulatory approval or availability of MDMA-assisted therapy. These statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual outcomes to differ materially from our projections.
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ABOUT MAPS
Founded in 1986, MAPS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit research and educational organization that develops medical, legal, and cultural contexts for people to benefit from the careful uses of psychedelics and marijuana. MAPS is sponsoring the most advanced psychedelic therapy research in the world: Phase 3 clinical trials of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD. Since MAPS was founded, philanthropic donors and grantors have given more than $130 million for psychedelic and marijuana research and education. MAPS has earned both the Guidestar Platinum Seal of Transparency and a 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator.
ABOUT MAPS PUBLIC BENEFIT CORPORATION (MAPS PBC)
MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC) catalyzes healing and well-being through psychedelic drug development, therapist training programs, and sales of prescription psychedelics while prioritizing public benefit above profit. Founded in 2014, MAPS PBC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. It is the parent company of MAPS EU, formed to organize and administer clinical trials of MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD in the United Kingdom and European Union.
MEDIA CONTACT
Betty Aldworth, Director of Communications
maps.org/newsroom or media@maps.org
831-429-6362 ext 303
