JAMA
August 31, 2023
Charles L. Raison, Gerard Sanacora, Joshua Woolley et al.
493 citations
A single 25-mg dose of synthetic psilocybin, administered with psychological support, produced a clinically significant and sustained reduction in depressive symptoms and functional disability over 43 days in adults with major depressive disorder. In a phase 2 trial of 104 participants, those receiving psilocybin showed a mean 12.3-point greater improvement on the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale at day 43 compared with those receiving a niacin placebo. Psilocybin also improved daily functioning and led to more sustained response, though not remission. No serious adverse events occurred, but psilocybin was associated with more overall and severe adverse events.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
January 1, 2022
Charles L. Raison, Rakesh Jain, Andrew Penn et al.
75 citations
In a large online survey of 2,510 adults who had used psychedelics at least once, psychedelic use was linked to significant improvements in depression, anxiety, and emotional well-being. The benefits grew with more use but showed a ceiling effect; even a single use was associated with improvements. No single psychedelic agent proved clearly superior, but increases in mystical experiences and prosocial perspective-taking were tied to better mental health. However, 13% of participants (330 people) reported at least one harm from psychedelic use, and those individuals experienced less mental health benefit. The findings suggest that naturalistic psychedelic use may offer mental health benefits similar to those in clinical trials, while also posing some risk of harm for a minority.
AJN American Journal of Nursing
May 16, 2021
Andrew Penn, Caroline Dorsen, Stephanie Hope et al.
40 citations
Psychedelics, studied from 1943 to 1970 as potential treatments for mental health disorders including addiction, were halted in the early 1970s by the U.S. Controlled Substances Act. As psychedelic-assisted therapy develops, nurses can decide their role in clinical and scholarly research. The article proposes that nurses become familiar with the history, language, and scientific findings of psychedelic research, learn about existing therapy and research resources, examine their own thoughts and judgments about therapeutic psychedelic use, and consider nursing's potential role in these therapies going forward.
Journal of Humanistic Psychology
April 23, 2021
Andrew Penn, Janis Phelps, William E Rosa et al.
37 citations
Psychedelic therapies combine a healing environment, psychotherapy, and psychedelic medicine to treat depression and PTSD. This article uses Jean Watson's nursing theory of human caring science to describe essential caring qualities in psychedelic therapy. It maps these qualities onto traits of a psychedelic therapist articulated by Janis Phelps, illustrating them with qualitative data from a psilocybin-assisted therapy study. The resulting nursing-informed philosophical framework helps examine trust between patient and therapist, therapeutic openness, mutual learning, the influence of therapists' spiritual practices, optimizing healing environments, and physical care during sessions. The article aims to identify themes and generate hypotheses for future nursing-informed psychedelic psychotherapy research.
Journal of Affective Disorders Reports
September 22, 2021
David E. Gard, Mollie Pleet, Ellen Bradley et al.
33 citations
Psilocybin, the active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms, can rapidly and durably improve depression symptoms, but people with bipolar disorder have been excluded from clinical trials due to concerns about triggering mania. As psilocybin becomes more available, individuals with bipolar disorder may seek it for depression. A review of 17 published cases suggests a potential risk of activating manic episodes, warranting caution. However, the lack of systematic data indicates a need for a cautious trial using modern methods, focusing on those at lowest risk for mania, such as bipolar 2 disorder, given the significant impact of depression in this population.
Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
April 9, 2025
Ellen Bradley, Kimberly Sakai, Gisele Fernandes-Osterhold et al.
23 citations
In an open-label pilot trial, 12 people with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease plus depression or anxiety received psilocybin (10 mg then 25 mg) with psychotherapy. No serious adverse events occurred, and no worsening of Parkinson's symptoms was observed. Non-motor and motor symptoms improved, and gains in some cognitive domains were sustained one month later. Depression and anxiety scores improved to a clinically meaningful degree and remained improved three months after dosing. These first results in any neurodegenerative disease suggest psilocybin therapy for Parkinson's disease warrants further study.
Psychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.)
September 1, 2023
Zachary Herrmann, Adam W. Levin, Steven P Cole et al.
9 citations
Among 228 healthcare providers who treat psychiatric disorders with medications and reported at least one lifetime psychedelic use, retrospective measures showed improvements in depression, anxiety, and well-being after psychedelic exposure. Suicidality decreased and resilience increased. A factor analysis indicated that a cluster of mystical, interpersonal, and personal experiences predicted these improvements. The preferred psychedelic agent did not affect outcomes, and frequency of use was not associated with outcomes, though effect sizes varied. Harm was reported by 13.2% (n = 30), consistent with general population rates. Pre-exposure alcohol use, aggressive impulses, and desire to die by suicide improved most often, while marijuana use most often worsened or did not change.
J Midwifery Womens Health
May 6, 2022
Cindy A. Stein, Andrew Penn, Stephanie Van Hope et al.
9 citations
Psychedelic-assisted therapy shows promise for treating common mental health disorders, yet many midwives lack knowledge about its benefits, best practices, and integration into treatment plans. This review describes current applications and legal status of psychedelic medicines, and explores how midwifery practice could expand with further training. It also highlights disparities in research and treatment access for LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC populations, who have been historically excluded from this field.
Psychedelic Med (New Rochelle)
December 13, 2023
Andrew Penn, Rachel Yehuda
7 citations
Psychedelic medicines are returning as clinical treatments, but much remains unknown about their safe and effective use in patient populations. This article reviews the history of how psychedelics were originally outlawed and then outlines research questions that need to be answered to fill knowledge gaps and ensure that psychedelic-assisted therapy is deployed effectively, while noting that non-clinical stakeholders may have different interests from clinicians.
medRxiv
April 7, 2021
David E. Gard, Mollie Pleet, Ellen Bradley et al.
7 citations
preprint
Psilocybin, the active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms, can rapidly and durably improve depression symptoms, but its safety in people with bipolar disorder is unknown because they have been excluded from clinical trials. The authors reviewed 17 published case histories and found potential risk for activating a manic episode, warranting caution. However, the lack of systematic data or common case examples indicating risk suggests that a cautious trial using modern methods, focused on those at lowest risk for mania (e.g., bipolar 2 disorder), is needed given depression's impact on this population.
Journal of hospice and palliative nursing : JHPN : the official journal of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association
April 1, 2025
Megan Miller, Molly Meyers, Annona Martin et al.
3 citations
A rapid review of 34 articles from 2021 to 2024 finds that psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is safe and shows initial efficacy for improving psycho-spiritual-existential outcomes in carefully screened patients with serious illness, predominantly cancer. Psilocybin was the most studied compound. Protocols commonly included participant screening, preparation, dosing, and integration. The review highlights current efforts and challenges in integrating PAT into palliative care systems. More research is needed with diverse samples, provider training, care delivery models, and policy solutions. Many patients lack basic psychosocial-spiritual-existential care, so careful integration is essential. The psychedelic substances discussed are not FDA approved.
Preventive Medicine Reports
August 1, 2025
Pedro J. Teixeira, Rakesh Jain, Andrew Penn et al.
1 citation
A survey of 2,510 U.S. adults who had used psychedelics at least once found that most reported lasting improvements in health behaviors after their experiences. Specifically, 66% reduced alcohol use, 49% cut tobacco use, 49% improved their diet, and 48–72% reported fewer impulsive behaviors. People who used psychedelics more often or microdosed were especially likely to report these positive changes. Although some participants experienced harms, the majority perceived lasting benefits. The findings suggest that psychedelic use may be linked to broad behavioral shifts in areas like diet and substance use, not just mental health.
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
April 15, 2026
Hannah Whitmore, Brian T Anderson, Elena Flowers et al.
A scoping review of studies from 1990 to 2023 suggests that psychedelic-assisted therapy may lead to significant and lasting reductions in anxiety, depression, and existential distress among terminally ill patients. These improvements appear to be mediated by enhanced death acceptance. The therapy may also increase psychological flexibility and reduce demoralization, supporting better mental health outcomes. The review concludes that psychedelic-assisted therapy represents a promising approach to improving quality of life for terminally ill patients by fostering acceptance of their prognosis and mortality, but further research is needed to confirm these findings.