Exploring U.K. cancer doctors’ attitudes toward psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for cancer-related distress
Shane Mageean, Anderson Daniel, Sara Tai
Research Square September 18, 2024 preprint DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4862438/v1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 9 |
| Population | Oncologists working across two National Health Service Trusts in England |
| Topics | Psilocybin Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | Distress Psychotherapist Cancer Clinical psychology |
| Key findings | Oncologists are open to psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for cancer-related distress but have concerns about safety and interactions with anticancer treatments. |
Abstract
Abstract Background A diagnosis of cancer is often associated with significant psychological distress. Current approaches to cancer-related distress predominantly fall short of meeting the needs of patients. Recent investigations have shown that administering psilocybin in combination with psychotherapy might be effective at reducing distress in cancer patients. Oncologists are often ‘gatekeepers’, who oversee cancer patient care; if this intervention were to become more routinely available, it is important to understand doctors’ attitudes toward psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy.
Method: Nine oncologists who worked across two National Health Service Trusts in England were interviewed using a semi-structured interview approach. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the interviews and guide the development of overarching themes and subthemes.
Results: The analysis revealed five overarching themes relating to oncologists’ experiences of cancer-related distress and attitudes towards psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy: current approaches to distress; attitudes towards psychedelics and psilocybin; quality research; service design and delivery; distress and patients from different backgrounds.
Limitations: Future research should aim to explore the experiences and attitudes of other professionals, such as specialist cancer nurses, who are more likely to broach the subject of distress with cancer patients.
Conclusions: Oncologists are open to novel interventions for supporting patients experiencing cancer-related psychological distress. Future research should aim to address their concerns regarding the safety and potential interactions of psilocybin with anticancer treatments and should stratify trials with different patient groups, owing to the idiosyncratic nature of specific types of cancer.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on psilocybin and psychedelic-assisted therapy, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patients’ Accounts of Increased “Connectedness” and “Acceptance” After Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression Patients with treatment-resistant depression enrolled in an open-label trial of psilocybin | 2017 | Qualitative study | n = 20 |
| Patient Experiences of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Adults aged 22 to 69 with clinically elevated anxiety associated with a cancer diagnosis | 2017 | Qualitative study | n = 13 |
| Psychedelic therapy for smoking cessation: Qualitative analysis of participant accounts Participants who completed a psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation pilot study | 2018 | Qualitative follow-up study using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis | n = 12 |
| Cancer at the Dinner Table: Experiences of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy for the Treatment of Cancer-Related Distress Adult participants with clinically elevated anxiety associated with a cancer diagnosis | 2017 | Qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis | n = 13 |
| Reports of self-compassion and affect regulation in psilocybin-assisted therapy for alcohol use disorder: An interpretive phenomenological analysis. non-Hispanic White cisgender men and women with alcohol use disorder | 2023 | Qualitative study | n = 13 |