Go read this STAT investigation into the risk of elder abuse in psychedelic therapy

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Older adults who use therapies to treat mental health conditions like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder are at risk of financial abuse. The substances could make people feel more connected to the care providers who deliver the drugs, making them vulnerable to manipulation by bad actors.

According to the story, a lawsuit was brought against a therapist who was accused of taking more than $4 million from a Holocaust survivor. According to the lawsuit, she took over as his personal assistant and caregivers after they met. She had access to his bank accounts. According to the lawsuit, she introduced sarlo to ketamine as a control mechanism.

The lawsuit was settled earlier this year. Dulai is a board member of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, which advocates for the use of psychedelics as medicine. The group said in a statement that they had not done their own investigation of the allegations. The MAPS founder and Dulai got a temporary restraining order against each other because of the elder abuse complaint they filed against the daughters.

Regardless of the back-and-forth, the situation highlights the risks of introducing drugs to healthcare for a population already vulnerable to abuse. End-of-life care is being considered as a strategy for using Psychedelic treatments. With a rapidly aging population around the world, this is an issue that will only become more relevant.

They are frail, at-risk older adults who are not able to advocate for themselves.

The full story can be read here.