Journal of Affective Disorders Reports
February 6, 2021
Jerome Sarris, Daniel Perkins, Lachlan Cribb et al.
72 citations
Among 1,571 people who reported depression and 1,125 who reported anxiety at the time of consuming ayahuasca, 78% of those with depression said their symptoms were 'very much' improved (46%) or 'completely resolved' (32%), while 70% of those with anxiety reported 'very much' improvement (54%) or complete resolution (16%). Greater improvement was linked to mystical experiences, more ayahuasca sessions, and personal psychological insights. A small minority—2.7% with depression and 4.5% with anxiety—reported worsened symptoms. The authors note this cross-sectional survey cannot establish treatment efficacy and call for randomized controlled trials.
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.
Journal of Affective Disorders Reports
January 15, 2021
Chris Griffiths, Kate Walker, Isabel Reid et al.
26 citations
In-depth interviews with 13 people diagnosed with treatment-resistant depression who received ketamine infusions revealed a typical pattern: an initial dissociative 'high' and enhanced perception, followed by a lifting of mood and reduction or removal of suicidal ideation and depression symptoms lasting 3–6 days. This led to increased motivation, socialization, and activity. All participants valued the therapeutic alliance with clinicians and advocated for treatment access for those unresponsive to other therapies. Ketamine can be potentially life-transforming for some, though it is not tolerated or effective for everyone. Small sample size and single-site recruitment limit generalizability.
Journal of Affective Disorders Reports
January 1, 2024
Diane Joss, Junjie Lu, Martin H. Teicher et al.
16 citations
Among young adult survivors of childhood adversity, an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Intervention (MBI) and a Stress Management Education (SME) program both led to increased mindfulness, reduced stress, and improved depression, anxiety, and somatization symptoms, with no significant difference between the two groups. Neither group showed greater changes in amygdala volume. Within the MBI group, the severity of childhood maltreatment mediated the link between mindfulness changes and right amygdala volume changes. Across both groups, childhood maltreatment moderated the effect of trait anxiety changes on left amygdala volume changes. The findings suggest that psychological-change-dependent amygdala volumetric changes are not unique to mindfulness training.
Journal of Affective Disorders Reports
April 28, 2025
Jason Perepelkin, Polixeni Hantjidis, Kirsten Robison et al.
3 citations
People with treatment-resistant depression who received intravenous ketamine at a clinic in Saskatchewan, Canada, reported significant improvements in mood, outlook, and daily functioning, along with psychological relief and altered perceptions during treatment. Barriers included high cost, limited accessibility, and stigma. The clinic environment and psychosocial factors also influenced outcomes. Despite financial burdens, many experienced meaningful benefits, including reduced suicidality. The findings underscore the need for supportive care settings, better access, and further research on individual predictors of response and cost-effectiveness.
Journal of Affective Disorders Reports
July 1, 2026
Abigail E. Calder, Vincent J Diehl, Bernd Hinney et al.
People who planned to use serotonergic psychedelics or MDMA in naturalistic settings reported lower neuroticism four weeks later, with the largest reductions in shame and feelings of tension. One week after use, they rated citizenship, family, intimate relationships, and spirituality as more important; only family remained elevated at four weeks. Serotonergic psychedelics were linked to greater increases in spirituality than MDMA. The findings suggest that both types of substances can produce lasting decreases in neuroticism and transient shifts in personal values, with family values showing the most persistent change.
Journal of Affective Disorders Reports
June 8, 2026
Marzieh Jalalian-Javadpour, Batool Ghorbani Yekta, Niloufar Reyhani et al.
Psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, shows potential for treating neuropsychiatric disorders including major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Evidence for OCD is very limited. This review examined 15 articles from 268 initial search results. All clinical studies—both case reports and clinical trials—reported improvement in OCD symptoms. Preclinical studies using OCD-like models were rare and showed some conflicting results. The review identifies shortcomings in assessing psilocybin's effects on OCD and calls for more detailed preclinical studies and clinical trials with dozens of participants.
Journal of Affective Disorders Reports
March 30, 2024
Diane Joss, Martin H. Teicher, Sara W. Lazar
An 8-week mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) led to increases in right hippocampus and right subiculum volumes among adults with adverse childhood experiences, while an active control condition (stress management education) did not. Only the MBI group improved pattern separation, a measure of episodic memory, and this improvement was linked to stress reduction and right subiculum volume changes. The findings indicate that mindfulness training may counteract some negative neural effects of early-life stress, with the subiculum playing a key role in reducing stress reactivity.
Journal of Affective Disorders Reports
September 17, 2021
Holger C Bringmann, Aline Sulz, Philipp Ritter et al.
Adding mantra meditation to usual inpatient care for major depression led to greater reductions in clinician-rated depression severity than adding progressive muscle relaxation. At 3-month follow-up, the mantra meditation group scored about 4.8 points lower on the MADRS depression scale, and at 6-month follow-up about 6.2 points lower, both differences favoring mantra meditation. Self-reported depression did not differ significantly between groups after treatment. The benefit appeared mainly in mood rather than cognitive symptoms. The study involved 123 inpatients at a psychiatric hospital who were diagnosed with major depression.