Magic Mushrooms
Alam Mehrjerdi Zahra, Bhavana Soma
The Meducator 2023 DOI: 10.35493/medu.43.18 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Psilocybin |
| Duration | 6 to 12 months |
| Topics | Addiction Anxiety Depression Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Hallucinogen Antidepressant Mood disorders Clinical psychology |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key findings | Psilocybin shows antidepressant and anti-anxiety effects, with symptom remission lasting 6 to 12 months after single or low doses, and helps combat substance abuse. |
Abstract
Psilocybin is a naturally occurring compound present in numerous mushroom species characterised by its hallucinogenic and psychedelic effects. Although it has a negative reputation, psilocybin has demonstrated therapeutic potential for treating mental health disorders by allowing the brain to make new neural connections which help the neural pathways adapt and break out of certain cognitive patterns related to mental illness. In recent studies, psilocybin has shown antidepressant effects, significantly reducing depressive and anxious symptoms in affected individuals. After single or low dosage, mood disorder symptoms remained in remission for 6 to 12 months. In contrast, conventional antidepressants often require multiple doses over long treatment periods to achieve similar effects. Other findings have shown that therapeutic use of psilocybin helps combat substance abuse and addictive disorders and can be applied as a cessation tool. Despite years of controversy surrounding the benefits of psilocybin, recent scientific evidence supports psilocybin’s immense potential in helping those with mental health disorders like Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and addiction disorders. With such promising results, psilocybin could be incorporated into clinical use and its therapeutic effects should continue being researched.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on psilocybin for addiction, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic psychedelics: An integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. General population | 2019 | Integrative review | |
| Psychedelics as anti-inflammatory agents Animal models and cellular studies | 2018 | Review | |
| Psychedelic Drugs in Biomedicine | 2017 | Review | |
| DARK Classics in Chemical Neuroscience: Psilocybin | 2018 | Review | |
| Psilocybin for treating substance use disorders? | 2016 | Narrative review |
Citations in the library
Cites 13
- Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial Journal of Psychopharmacology November 30, 2016
- Psilocybin-assisted treatment for alcohol dependence: A proof-of-concept study Journal of Psychopharmacology January 13, 2015
- Long-term follow-up of psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse July 21, 2016
- The Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelic Drugs: Past, Present, and Future. Neuropsychopharmacology April 26, 2017
- Psychedelic effects of psilocybin correlate with serotonin 2A receptor occupancy and plasma psilocin levels Neuropsychopharmacology January 26, 2019
and 8 more in the library