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Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy: A Review of a Novel Treatment for Psychiatric Disorders

Kelan Thomas, Benjamin Malcolm, Dan Lastra

Journal of Psychoactive Drugs May 8, 2017 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2017.1320734 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Systematic review Open-label Peer reviewed
Sample size 7
Population Patients with psychiatric disorders related to anxiety, depression, and substance use
Intervention Psilocybin-assisted therapy
Topics Addiction Anxiety Psilocybin
Keywords Hallucinogen Clinical trial Depression economics Clinical psychology
Citations 77
Key findings Psilocybin-assisted therapy reduced psychiatric rating scale scores and increased response and remission rates across seven clinical trials, with large effect sizes for depression and anxiety symptoms.

Abstract

Recent research suggests that functional connectivity changes may be involved in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders. Hyperconnectivity in the default mode network has been associated with psychopathology, but psychedelic serotonin agonists like psilocybin may profoundly disrupt these dysfunctional neural network circuits and provide a novel treatment for psychiatric disorders. We have reviewed the current literature to investigate the efficacy and safety of psilocybin-assisted therapy for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. There were seven clinical trials that investigated psilocybin-assisted therapy as a treatment for psychiatric disorders related to anxiety, depression, and substance use. All trials demonstrated reductions in psychiatric rating scale scores or increased response and remission rates. There were large effect sizes related to improved depression and anxiety symptoms. Psilocybin may also potentially reduce alcohol or tobacco use and increase abstinence rates in addiction, but the benefits of these two trials were less clear due to open-label study designs without statistical analysis. Psilocybin-assisted therapy efficacy and safety appear promising, but more robust clinical trials will be required to support FDA approval and identify the potential role in clinical psychiatry.

Comparable studies

Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on psilocybin for addiction, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Therapeutic effect of psilocybin in addiction: A systematic review Patients with alcohol use disorder or tobacco use disorder 2023 Systematic review n = 151
The intensity of the psychedelic experience is reliably associated with clinical improvements: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Patients treated with classical psychedelics 2025 Meta-analysis
Psychedelic‐assisted treatment for substance use disorder: A narrative systematic review Participants in studies of psychedelic-assisted treatment for alcohol, tobacco, and... 2025 Systematic review n = 2,035
Psychedelic Treatments for Substance Use Disorder and Substance Misuse: A Mixed Methods Systematic Review Adults with substance use disorder or substance misuse 2023 Systematic review
[Efficacy of psychedelics in psychiatry, a systematic review of the literature]. Patients with psychiatric conditions (anxiety, depression, major depressive disorder,... 2021 Systematic review n = 25

Citations in the library

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Related reading

Explore topics

Addiction Anxiety Psilocybin Default mode network Depression Psychedelic-assisted therapy Serotonin

By condition and practice

Psilocybin for addiction Psilocybin for anxiety