‘Shrooms for the Blues: Psilocybin to alleviate difficult-to-treat depression
Zoe Graham
Journal of High School Science August 25, 2022 DOI: 10.64336/001c.37945 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Psilocybin |
| Topics | Depression Psilocybin |
| Key findings | Psilocybin appears to be a safe and effective antidepressant for treatment-resistant and cancer-related depression, producing positive and enduring mood effects. |
Abstract
Depression is a devastating disease, affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Cases of difficult-to-treat depression are also increasingly common, exposing the ineffectiveness of currently available treatments. This paper reviews evidence supporting the use of psilocybin, the prodrug found in psychedelic mushrooms, as a potential antidepressant for treatment-resistant and cancer-related depression, two prevalent kinds of difficult-to-treat depression. Through its interactions with the serotonin system, psilocybin appears to create positive and enduring effects on mood that are fundamentally different from conventional antidepressants. Despite concerns about psilocybin’s potential to cause neurotoxicity or psychosis, trials have shown this drug to be quite safe, especially when administered in small doses in a clinical setting. These studies suggest that, both neurologically and psychologically, psilocybin has led to previously unreachable successes for patients struggling with cancer-related and treatment-resistant depression.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on psilocybin for depression, 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 | |
| Molecular Mechanisms of Psilocybin and Implications for the Treatment of Depression | 2021 | Review | |
| Registered clinical studies investigating psychedelic drugs for psychiatric disorders. Registered clinical trials on clinicaltrials.gov evaluating psychedelics for... | 2021 | Review | n = 70 |
| Depression, Mindfulness, and Psilocybin: Possible Complementary Effects of Mindfulness Meditation and Psilocybin in the Treatment of Depression. A Review | 2020 | Review | |
| From psychiatry to neurology: Psychedelics as prospective therapeutics for neurodegenerative disorders | 2021 | Review |