European Psychiatry
June 1, 2022
G. Simões, S. Jesús, R. Silva
1 citation
Ayahuasca, a psychotropic plant used by indigenous Amazonians, shows promise for treating depression. A review of six studies found that ayahuasca use was associated with reductions in depression scale scores, significant antidepressant effects, and improved grief symptoms. It also increased introspection, positive mood, self-acceptance, empathy, openness, and emotional processing. However, the evidence comes from small, variable studies, including retrospective and prospective observational studies, a meta-analysis, and a narrative review. The authors conclude that the results are promising but require further investigation in controlled trials with larger samples to better assess clinical effects, safety, and short- and long-term outcomes.
DELOS Desarrollo Local Sostenible
December 11, 2025
Pedro Rodrigues, Weliton Rodrigues Dos Santos Júnior, Ivan de Sousa Araújo et al.
A systematic review and network meta-analysis of 149 randomized controlled trials compared psilocybin, ketamine, and several common antidepressants (escitalopram, bupropion, paroxetine, fluoxetine, sertraline, venlafaxine) against placebo for major depressive disorder. All antidepressants were more effective than placebo, but psilocybin and ketamine achieved the lowest depressive symptom scores and reduced suicidal ideation. For acceptability (measured by dropout rates), placebo outperformed all drugs; however, among the medications, psilocybin had the highest combined ranking for efficacy and acceptability, followed closely by ketamine. The authors suggest these two agents may aid physicians in therapeutic decision-making, including for treatment-refractory depression.
European Psychiatry
November 17, 2023
G. Simões, S. Jesús, R. Silva
Perception transforms raw sensory stimuli into meaningful information at the cortical level, while imagery is an internal mental representation actively drawn from memory. Although often distinguished by their differential features, many characteristics are shared rather than unique. The authors analyze the similarities and differences between imagery and perception at the phenomenological level and examine their roles in psychopathological alterations such as hallucinations, pseudohallucinations, pareidolic illusions, abnormal imagery, sensory deprivation, and dreams. Understanding imagery and its formal characteristics is necessary for better recognizing the nature of perceptions and related psychopathological alterations, as well as the mechanisms uniting these concepts.