Displaying items by tag: therapy

Australia's medicines regulator has approved using psychedelics to treat depression and PTSD. This will allow magic mushrooms and ecstasy tablets to be prescribed as medicines at a national level. Ecstasy was developed in 1912 as an appetite suppressant in the USA, but was outlawed in the 1970s. It entered Australia as an illegal party drug in the 1980s, giving increased energy levels, empathy, and pleasure. How Australia rolls out clinical prescriptions for both drugs will be closely watched. Initial access to the drugs will be limited and costly. Many say it’s a landmark moment, but the Medical Association and the College of Psychiatrists have expressed serious concerns about psychedelic treatments. A professor of addiction medicine at the University of Sydney wants larger-scale studies and better research. He warned of known risks of fear, panic and re-traumatisation; and unknown risks of long-term side effects with potentially very limited benefits.

The Association of Christian Counsellors has spoken out against using conversion therapy to try to change a person's gender identity. The association has joined other professional bodies in saying this method of encouraging someone to identify as a different gender (male, female, non-binary or gender-fluid) is not supported by any evidence; whether in relation to sexual orientation or gender identity, it is unethical and potentially harmful. Studies into the use of conversion therapy should be kept under regular review, and healthcare professionals and psychological therapists must be aware of ‘ethical issues relating to conversion therapy’. They added, ‘This position is not intended to deny, discourage or exclude those with uncertain feelings around sexuality or gender identity from seeking qualified and appropriate help.’ See also Europe article ‘Gender: times are changing’.

A worker for International Justice Mission (IJM) writes, ‘Please pray for our aftercare team who are teaching children rescued from slavery in Ghana about their rights to freedom. It became clear that many had no concept of what it meant to have rights under Ghanaian law, or that the law should protect them from abuse. Our aftercare team partnered with a Ghanaian artist to create a beautifully illustrated curriculum called ‘I Am Worthy’, which talks about rights in a way that children can understand. Pray that this curriculum will help survivors understand their own stories and believe in their inherent dignity and worth. We can praise God that a partnership has been formed between IJM and the Anglican Church of Uganda. The church’s vision of opening legal chambers will grow its role in serving widows and orphans in the community, by providing legal services to victims of property-grabbing.’