Australia leads on psychedelic therapy, but Monash expert urges caution amid global hype
Monash researcher joins ABC’s Life Matters to discuss the clinical reality of psychedelic treatment
The Make America Healthy Again movement has embraced psychedelics as the next frontier in mental health treatment. But it’s Australia that quietly took the lead. In 2023, it became the first country in the world to allow psychiatrists to prescribe two psychedelic compounds, MDMA and psilocybin, for PTSD and treatment-resistant depression.
Now, with private insurers like Medibank beginning to fund psychedelic therapy, public interest is intensifying. So too is the hype.
Appearing on ABC Radio National’s Life Matters this week, Professor Suresh Sundram of Monash University’s School of Clinical Sciences called for optimism, grounded in rigour.
Listen to the interview on ABC Life Matters
“Psychedelics induce an experience within the individual which is not predictable or controllable,” said Professor Sundram. “Once someone takes a therapeutic or a high dose of a psychedelic agent, where the medicine takes them will be their own personal journey.”
Professor Sundram is part of the team behind Australia’s largest clinical psychedelic lab, embedded at Monash University. He emphasised that psychedelic treatment is not simply about a compound. It is a structured clinical process.
“For these agents to be truly therapeutic, they need to be given in the right setting,” he said. “That includes preparing the person beforehand, carefully monitoring the dosing experience, and providing ongoing psychotherapy to help reintegrate the experience afterwards.”
Access remains tightly regulated, and for good reason.
“There are very high thresholds,” said Professor Sundram. “Anyone with a personal or first-degree family history of psychosis is excluded. Doses are strictly controlled, and we screen participants to minimise physical risks.”
Since Australia downscheduled MDMA and psilocybin, interest in psychedelic science has surged. At Monash, researchers are now investigating their use in a broader range of conditions, including anxiety and substance use disorders.
Still, Professor Sundram notes the growing public attention isn’t always matched by nuance.
“The reaction from the community has at one level been overeager. Some people are spruiking these agents as a panacea for mental illness, and I don’t share that view. Others remain deeply skeptical or suspicious, and I don’t share that either,” he said.
“These are not new compounds. Substances like ayahuasca and 5-MeO-DMT have been used in cultural and ceremonial contexts for millennia. Clinical research was only halted due to politically driven prohibition. We are now catching up to their potential, but we must treat that potential responsibly.”
About Monash University
Monash University is Australia’s largest university with more than 80,000 students. In the 60 years since its foundation, it has developed a reputation for world-leading high-impact research, quality teaching, and inspiring innovation.
With four campuses in Australia and a presence in Malaysia, China, India, Indonesia and Italy, it is one of the most internationalised Australian universities.
As a leading international medical research university with the largest medical faculty in Australia and integration with leading Australian teaching hospitals, we consistently rank in the top 50 universities worldwide for clinical, pre-clinical and health sciences.
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