Objective This study evaluated whether intramuscular (IM) ketamine is non‐inferior to intranasal (IN) esketamine for treatment‐resistant depression (TRD) and assessed differences in safety and healthcare costs. Methods In a retrospective, observational sequential cohort at the VA San Diego, 179 Veterans with TRD received eight treatments of either IN esketamine ( n = 89) or IM ketamine ( n =...
Recent literature suggests potential associations between hallucinogen use and valvular heart disease (VHD) due to prolonged activation of serotonin 5-HT2B receptors, which may lead to valvular fibrosis – a condition also linked to drugs including fenfluramine and pergolide. Despite these concerns, epidemiological studies exploring this association are lacking. This exploratory analysis...
Mindfulness-based interventions are efficacious nonpharmacologic treatments for chronic pain, yet the psychological mechanisms mediating the pain-relieving effects of mindfulness-based interventions remain incompletely understood. One potential mechanism may involve nondual awareness, a state of consciousness characterized by attenuation of the subject-object duality, reduced self-referential...
Recreational psychedelic use is increasing, yet data on adverse events remains limited. This study characterized emergency department (ED) visits associated with recreational psychedelic use at UC San Diego Medical Center. We conducted a retrospective chart review of ED encounters (2010–2023). Cases were identified using ICD-10 hallucinogen-related codes and confirmed through manual review....
Mystical experiences are powerful experiences that may have therapeutic value. Ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, has shown potential to induce mystical experiences. However, little research has explored this phenomenon, particularly in treatment-resistant depression. We analyzed clinical data from 60 veterans with treatment-resistant depression receiving a total of 189 ketamine treatments....
The resurgence of interest in classical psychedelics brings both promise and challenges to psychiatric care. Increasing evidence supports the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for a range of mental health conditions, and approval for clinical use appears inevitable. The psychedelic-associated acute subjective experience may mediate or enhance therapeutic outcomes, but also presents...
Psilocybin is a serotonergic psychedelic shown to have enduring antidepressant effects. Currently, the mechanism for its enduring effects is not well understood. Empathy and prosocial behavior may be important for understanding the therapeutic benefit of psilocybin. In this article we review the effect of psilocybin on empathy and prosocial behavior. Moreover, we propose that psilocybin may...