Anxiety disorder is one of the most prevalent mental disorders. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is effective for treating anxiety disorders. However, no studies have investigated the cost-effectiveness of MBCT for anxiety disorders. We aimed to conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis alongside a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to clarify the cost-effectiveness of MBCT for anxiety...
Cannabis users present an important group for investigating putative mechanisms underlying psychosis, as cannabis-use is associated with an increased risk of psychosis. Recent work suggests that alterations in belief-updating under uncertainty underlie psychosis. We therefore compared belief updating under uncertainty between cannabis and non-cannabis users. 49 regular cannabis users and 52...
This study explored the association between self-compassion, alexithymia, and psychosomatic symptom distress in a clinical sample of somatic symptom disorder (SSD) patients participating in a mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) program. One hundred sixteen SSD patients who had participated in an MBCT program and completed ≥4 intervention sessions were included in a retrospective study...
Introduction Despite an emerging understanding regarding the pivotal mechanistic role of subjective experiences that unfold during acute psychedelic states, very little has been done in the direction of better characterizing such experiences and determining their long-term impact. The present paper utilizes two cross-sectional studies for spotlighting – for the first time in the literature –...
Bipolar depression constitutes a major problem in psychiatry. It correlates with high suicidality, treatment resistance, chronicity, and poor quality of life. Registered treatment for bipolar depression is limited and insufficient. There is an urgent need for implementing new therapeutic strategies. Intranasal ketamine’s enantiomer—esketamine is a novel rapid-acting antidepressant with proven...
Objective To compare group and individual psychedelic-assisted therapy in terms of clinician time, costs and patient access. Methods Using 2023 data from two group therapy trial sites, one using 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) to treat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and one using psilocybin to treat major depressive disorder (MDD), we compared overall variable costs, clinician...
Intranasal esketamine for treatment-resistant depression has been introduced and approved by the FDA and EMA in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Since then, the administration practices were found different among countries. Major depression has a high impact on many humans lives worldwide and more than a third of treated people are not responding after several treatment attempts. Additional...
Psychedelic therapy is, arguably, the next frontier in psychiatry. It offers a radical alternative to longstanding, mainstays of treatment, while exciting a paradigm shift in translational science and drug discovery. There is particular interest in 5-methoxy- N,N -dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT)—a serotonergic psychedelic—as a novel, fast-acting therapeutic. Yet, few studies have directly...
In contrast to well established psychedelics such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin, ergot alkaloids of the clavine subclass have not been thoroughly investigated, in spite of their broad occurrence in nature and their well-established potent physiological effects. This study presents the current knowledge on the biological properties of clavine alkaloids, draws comparisons to...
Objective In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in investigating the use of classic psychedelics such as psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in the treatment of mental disorders and substance use disorders. However, knowledge about the epidemiology of classic psychedelics in the Nordic countries is limited. Methods We recruited adult, Norwegian participants who have had...
BackgroundThe efficacy of esketamine nasal spray (NS) as a rapid-acting agent for treatment resistant depression (TRD) was demonstrated in comparisons with placebo, when both were given in addition to a newly initiated selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)/serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). How esketamine NS compares with commonly used real-world (RW) polypharmacy...
There is increased risk of psychosis associated with cannabis use disorder and the interaction of THC with dopamine neurotransmission is complex. It is important to investigate the recovery from cannabis-induced psychosis and its effects on the brain’s dopamine neurotransmission. This study was to evaluate dopamine receptor D 2 availability in the striatum (caudate/putamen) in recently...
Background: The interest in psychoactive agents for treating mental disorders has gathered a growing body of scientific interest. However, research on the relationship between altered states of consciousness (ASCs) and ketamine's antidepressant properties is still limited. Likewise, approaches to sustain early treatment success for the long-term are needed. Taking both aspects into account, the...
Disclosures of Financial or Other Potential Conflicts of Interest: Dr. Barnett holds stock options in CB Therapeutics. He also serves on advisory boards for CB Therapeutics and Compass Pathways. He receives monetary compensation from DynaMed Plus (EBSCO Industries, Inc.) for editorial work and from Janssen Pharmaceuticals for consulting services. Dr. Barnett has received research funding from...
Background Microdosing (MD), repeatedly taking psychedelics in small, non-hallucinogenic amounts, has been practiced by individuals to relieve attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. Generally, adults diagnosed with ADHD have lower levels of mindfulness and differ in personality structure from non-ADHD adults. How MD affects mindfulness and personality in adults with ADHD...
Introduction Subanesthetic ketamine is a rapidly acting antidepressant that has also been found to improve neurocognitive performance in adult patients with treatment resistant depression (TRD). Provisional evidence suggests that ketamine may induce change in hippocampal volume and that larger pre-treatment volumes might be related to positive clinical outcomes. Here, we examine the effects of...
As investigations into the efficacy of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy to treat depression continue, there is a need to study the possible mechanisms of action that may contribute to the treatment's antidepressant effects. Through a two-round Delphi design, the current study investigated experts' opinions on the psychological mechanisms of action associated with the antidepressant effects of...
Frontiers in PsychiatrySeptember 28, 2023Milou A. Buijk, R. F. Lauw, Jan Adriaan Coebergh et al.3 citations
Introduction Although musical hallucinations do not tend to be accompanied by delusions, occasionally patients persistently accuse others of being responsible for causing the music they perceive, sometimes with severe social consequences such as frequently calling the police or moving house. In this study we seek to broaden our understanding of this rare type of musical hallucination that comes...
There has been an increase in research on the topic of psychedelic substances and their effects as treatment options in neuropsychiatric conditions. Psilocybin is a psychedelic drug that has recently garnered increased interest as an effective treatment modality for treatment-resistant depression, depression associated with terminal conditions, certain substance use disorders, and...
Psychedelic-assisted treatment (PAT) for mental health is in renaissance. Psilocybin and MDMA stand near FDA approval, and US cities and states are decriminalizing or regulating the non-clinical use of psilocybin. However, neither FDA indications nor a regulated use model sufficiently address the complex needs and opportunities for an improved treatment of addiction. When paired with disability...
Introduction The classic psychedelic psilocybin, found in some mushroom species, has received renewed interest in clinical research, showing potential mental health benefits in preliminary trials. Naturalistic use of psilocybin outside of research settings has increased in recent years, though data on the public health impact of such use remain limited. Methods This prospective, longitudinal...
Background Subanesthetic ketamine has accumulated meta-analytic evidence for rapid antidepressant effects in treatment-resistant depression (TRD), resulting in both excitement and debate. Many unanswered questions surround ketamine’s mechanisms of action and its integration into real-world psychiatric care, resulting in diverse utilizations that variously resemble electroconvulsive therapy,...
Introduction Psychedelic-assisted therapy with psilocybin has shown promise in Phase 2 trials for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Set and setting, particularly factors facilitating a connection with nature, may positively influence the psychedelic experience and therapeutic outcomes. But to date, randomized controlled trials of interventions to enhance set and setting for psychedelic-assisted...
Much recent attention has been directed toward the spatial organization of the cell nucleus and the manner in which three-dimensional topologically associated domains and transcription factories are epigenetically coordinated to precisely bring enhancers into close proximity with promoters to control gene expression. Twenty lines of evidence robustly implicate cannabinoid exposure with...
Introduction Psilocybin use has been linked to lowered odds of crime-related outcomes across a host of observational studies. No studies have investigated how these associations may differ among those of different races and ethnicities. Methods Using a nationally-representative sample of 734,061 adults from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2002–2020), we investigated whether race and...