Psychiatry International
September 10, 2026
Tommaso Barlattani, Giorgio Sernia, Chiara D’Amelio et al.
Background: Evidence for repeated intranasal esketamine in obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) remains preliminary, particularly when OCD co-occurs with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Methods: We report a 58-year-old woman treated with intranasal esketamine in routine clinical care for TRD; change in obsessive–compulsive symptoms was followed as a secondary observational outcome. Her...
Asian Journal of Psychiatry
July 8, 2026
Valerio Ricci, Domenico de Berardis, Giovanni Martinotti et al.
BACKGROUND Cannabis-induced psychosis presents complex sex-based disparities that challenge traditional epidemiological patterns. While males demonstrate higher cannabis use rates, emerging evidence reveals paradoxical vulnerability patterns where females may show heightened susceptibility to cannabis-related psychotic outcomes despite lower consumption rates. OBJECTIVE To map evidence for...
Clinical Neuropsychopharmacology and Addiction
June 25, 2026
Luca Persico, Giacomo D’andrea, Clara Cavallotto et al.
Background: Intranasal esketamine (ESK-NS) is an effective treatment for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), but whether antidepressant outcomes differ by sex and age remains insufficiently explored. Methods: This secondary analysis of the REAL-ESK study included 210 patients with TRD treated with ESK-NS in routine clinical practice and assessed at baseline (T0), one month (T1), and three...
European Psychiatry
June 1, 2026
V. Martiadis, F. Raffone, S. Testa et al.
Introduction Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is a severe condition associated with high suicide risk and limited response to conventional antidepressants. Intranasal esketamine has shown rapid efficacy in reducing depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. Objectives This observational study assessed the real-world effectiveness of esketamine in reducing suicidal ideation, self-harm...
Preprints.org
April 29, 2026
Stefano Marini, Domenico de Berardis
preprint
Psychedelic drugs are serotonergic hallucinogens that can be divided into two types: naturally occurring (psilocybin, psilocin, and N,N-dimethyltryptamine) and synthetic (LSD, MDMA, 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine, and ketamine). Psychedelics generally work on 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors and might be useful in cognitive enhancement, brain connectivity, neuroplasticity, and neuronal...
Mental Wellness
April 21, 2026
Mohsen Khosravi, Domenico de Berardis, Massimo Tusconi
This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized data from 13 clinical trials (n=606) evaluating psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for major depressive disorder and treatment-resistant depression. Despite early enthusiasm, the pooled standardized mean difference (-0.79, 95% confidence interval: -3.98 to 2.40, p=0.63) revealed no statistically significant overall antidepressant effect, with...
Current Neuropharmacology
October 20, 2025
Vassilis Martiadis, Fabiola Raffone, Danilo Atripaldi et al.
21 citations
Esketamine rapidly improved suicidality and depression in TRD, with preliminary evidence suggesting gender-specific responses, and highlighting the importance of tailored interventions to maximize outcomes. Further research is needed to confirm these differences, explore the long-term effects, and understand the underlying mechanisms.
The American Journal on Addictions
September 1, 2025
Valerio Ricci, Domenico de Berardis, Giovanni Martinotti et al.
AbstractBackground and ObjectivesCannabis use is associated with psychotic disorder onset and exacerbation. This study examines how continued cannabis use affects depressive symptoms, psychotic symptoms, and suicidal behaviors following cannabis‐induced first‐episode psychosis (FEP).MethodsSixty‐five participants (aged 16–50 years) with FEP were recruited from psychiatric inpatient facilities...
Psychiatry Research
July 26, 2025
Giacomo D’andrea, Clara Cavallotto, Mauro Pettorruso et al.
16 citations
INTRODUCTION Anhedonia, defined as the diminished ability to experience or anticipate pleasure, is a core symptom of major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar depression (BD), and associated with depression severity, suicidality and poor treatment outcomes. Conventional antidepressants demonstrate limited efficacy against anhedonia. Esketamine nasal spray (ESK-NS) - a novel NMDA receptor...
Alpha psychiatry
April 1, 2025
Francisco López-Muñoz, Pilar D'Ocón, Alejandro Romero et al.
3 citations
Given their great importance, as one of the most prescribed types of therapeutic drugs worldwide, we have analyzed the role of serendipity in the discovery of new antidepressants, ranging from selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors to more contemporary developments. We carried out a historical analysis of the discovery of new antidepressants, resorting to the original articles published on...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
January 8, 2025
Valerio Ricci, Domenico de Berardis, Sheikh Shoib et al.
4 citations
This study explores the psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) associated with recreational ketamine use among young adults. Ketamine, initially introduced as an anesthetic, is now widely used recreationally for its dissociative effects, raising concerns about its impact on mental health. Ten participants aged 18-24, who used ketamine recreationally multiple times a week, were assessed using the...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
2025
Valerio Ricci, Domenico de Berardis, Giovanni Martinotti et al.
Cannabis use represents a significant environmental risk factor for psychotic disorders, with emerging evidence suggesting complex interactions between cannabinoid exposure, dissociative experiences, and fundamental disturbances of self-experience (self-disorders) in early psychosis. This systematic review examines the phenomenological and neurobiological relationships among dissociation,...
Rivista di psichiatria
November 1, 2024
Valerio Ricci, Domenico de Berardis, Giovanni Martinotti et al.
2 citations
BACKGROUND: Cannabis is the most used recreational drug worldwide. Its use can increase the risk of developing psychotic disorders and exacerbate their course. However, little is known about the relationship between psychosis and withdrawal and the literature is still scarce. CASE PRESENTATION: In this study, based on an analysis of 4 patients referred to our mental health department and...
Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)
January 29, 2024
Valerio Ricci, Domenico de Berardis, Giuseppe Maina
16 citations
This narrative review explores the efficacy and tolerability of third-generation antipsychotics (TGAs)-aripiprazole, cariprazine, brexpiprazole, and lurasidone-for the management of substance-induced psychosis (SIP). SIP is a psychiatric condition triggered by substance misuse or withdrawal, characterized by unique features distinct from those of primary psychotic disorders. These distinctive...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
January 8, 2024
Valerio Ricci, Ilenia di Muzio, F. Ceci et al.
Background Natural Cannabis (NC) and Synthetic Cannabinoids (SCs) use can increase the risk and exacerbate the course of psychotic disorders. These could be influenced by the Aberrant Salience (AS) construct. It refers to an excess of attribution of meaning to stimuli that are otherwise regarded as neutral, thereby transform them into adverse, dangerous, or mysterious entities. This leads the...
Annals of General Psychiatry
November 26, 2023
Giuseppe Maina, Marina Adami, Giuseppe Ascione et al.
56 citations
Abstract Background Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is defined by the European Medicines Agency as a lack of clinically meaningful improvement after treatment, with at least two different antidepressants. Individual, familiar, and socio-economic burden of TRD is huge. Given the lack of clear guidelines, the large variability of TRD approaches across different countries and the availability...
Diseases
November 3, 2023
Kainat Riaz, Sejal Suneel, Mohammad Hamza Bin Abdul Malik et al.
16 citations
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating mental health disorder that causes significant dysfunction in individuals. Currently, there are many approved pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy treatment options for PTSD, but unfortunately, half of the patients do not respond to traditional therapies. In this article, we review clinical trials and research on...
Human Psychopharmacology
May 1, 2020
Laura Orsolini, Stefania Chiappini, Duccio Papanti et al.
27 citations
Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic plant preparation, traditionally consumed in sacred ceremonies by indigenous North-Westerner Amazonian countries like Colombia, Peru, Brazil, and Ecuador. It is fundamental to carefully balance benefits/risks related to the ayahuasca intake, both during ceremonies and experimental settings. The aim is at evaluating and comparing the potential therapeutic benefits...
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry
January 31, 2020
Domenico de Berardis, Carmine Tomasetti, Maurizio Pompili et al.
38 citations
BACKGROUND: A research on mood disorder pathophysiology has hypothesized abnormalities in glutamatergic neurotransmission, by suggesting further investigation on glutamatergic N-methyl-Daspartate (NMDA) receptor modulators in treating Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Esketamine (ESK), an NMDA receptor antagonist able to modulate glutamatergic neurotransmission has been recently developed as an...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
November 20, 2019
Laura Orsolini, Stefania Chiappini, Duccio Papanti et al.
41 citations
The critical spread and dissemination of novel psychoactive substances (NPS), particularly among the most vulnerable youngsters, may pose a further concern about the psychotic trajectories related to the intake of new synthetic drugs. The psychopathological pattern of the "new psychoses" appears to be extremely different from the classical presentation. Therefore, clinicians need more data on...
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
September 23, 2018
Domenico de Berardis, Michele Fornaro, Alessandro Valchera et al.
171 citations
Despite the continuous advancement in neurosciences as well as in the knowledge of human behaviors pathophysiology, currently suicide represents a puzzling challenge. The World Health Organization (WHO) has established that one million people die by suicide every year, with the impressive daily rate of a suicide every 40 s. The weightiest concern about suicidal behavior is how difficult it is...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
May 22, 2018
Laura Orsolini, Michela Ciccarese, Duccio Papanti et al.
25 citations
Currently different classes of psychoactive substances are easily available for abuse, including several hundred novel psychoactive substances (NPS). Some of these drugs occur naturally in plants and animals or are chemically modified from plant or animal compounds and have been abused by humans over millennia. Recently, the occurrence of a new "drug culture" (e.g., psychonauts) who consume a...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
November 20, 2017
Laura Orsolini, Gabriele Duccio Papanti, Domenico de Berardis et al.
99 citations
Hallucinogen-persisting perception disorder (HPPD) is a syndrome characterized by prolonged or reoccurring perceptual symptoms, reminiscent of acute hallucinogen effects. HPPD was associated with a broader range of LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)-like substances, cannabis, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), psilocybin, mescaline, and psychostimulants. The recent emergence of novel...
European Psychiatry
March 1, 2016
Laura Orsolini, Alessandro Valchera, Duccio Papanti et al.
3 citations
Introduction Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD) is a syndrome characterized by prolonged or reoccurring perceptual symptoms, reminiscent of acute hallucinogen effects. HPPD was associated with a broader range of LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide)-like substances, including cannabis, MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine), psilocybin, mescaline and other psychostimulants....
Preprints.org
Kainat Riaz, Sejal Suneel, Mohammad Hamza Bin Abdul Malik et al.
1 citation
preprint
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating mental health disorder that causes significant dysfunction in individuals. Currently, there are many approved Pharmacotherapy and Psychotherapy treatment options for PTSD, but unfortunately, half of the patients do not respond to traditional therapies. In this article, we reviewed clinical trials and research on...