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Psychedelics, With a Focus on Psilocybin: Issues for the Clinician.

Amir Garakani, Jeanne L Alexander, Calvin R Sumner, Janet H Pine, Lawrence S Gross, Charles L. Raison, Scott T Aaronson, David Baron

Journal of Psychiatric Practice September 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1097/pra.0000000000000729 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Review Peer reviewed
Topics Psilocybin
Keywords Psychedelics Psilocybin therapy Mental health Clinical research
Citations 6
Key findings Psilocybin shows promise for treatment-resistant depression and cancer-related anxiety, but further study and regulatory considerations are needed.

Abstract

There has been a burgeoning interest in psychedelics among the public, state legislatures, psychiatrists and other clinical providers, and within the research community. Increasing numbers of studies evaluating psychedelics for depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorders have been conducted or are underway. While discussing psychedelics in general, the focus of this paper is on psilocybin and its mechanism, how it exerts a psychedelic effect, dosing, and a review of the treatment studies of psilocybin, which were primarily for treatment-resistant depression and cancer-related anxiety. Future directions and potential limitations of studying and regulating psilocybin and other psychedelics are also discussed.