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Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for depression: Emerging research on a psychedelic compound with a rich history.

Craig S Pearson, J. Siegel, J. Gold

Journal of Neurological Sciences December 1, 2021 DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2021.120096 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Review Peer reviewed
Topics Depression Psilocybin Psychedelic-assisted therapy
Citations 30
Key findings Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy exerts rapid and sustained antidepressant effects for individuals with depression, including treatment-resistant depression.

Abstract

There is a serious need for novel therapies that treat individuals with depression, including major depressive disorder (MDD) and treatment-resistant depression (TRD). An emerging body of research has demonstrated that psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin, combined with supportive psychotherapy, exert rapid and sustained antidepressant effects. The use of psychedelics is not new: they have a rich history with evidence of their use in ritual and medical settings. However, due to political, social, and cultural pressures, their use was limited until modern clinical trials began to emerge in the 2010s. This review provides a comprehensive look at the potential use of psilocybin in the treatment of depression and TRD. It includes an overview of the history, pharmacology, and proposed mechanism of psilocybin, and describes several published studies in the last decade which have provided evidence of the efficacy and safety of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for individuals with depression. It also includes a discussion of the limitations and barriers of current research on psychedelics. The results of these studies are contextualized within the current treatment landscape through an overview of the pathophysiology of depression and the treatments currently in use, as well as the clinical needs these novel therapies have the promise to fulfill.

Comparable studies

Other narrative reviews on psilocybin and psychedelic-assisted therapy, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy: A Paradigm Shift in Psychiatric Research and Development 2018 Review
Novel psychopharmacological therapies for psychiatric disorders: psilocybin and MDMA. 2016 Review
Systematized Review of Psychotherapeutic Components of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy 2021 Systematized review
The Emerging Field of Psychedelic Psychotherapy. 2022 Review
Experience of Music Used With Psychedelic Therapy: A Rapid Review and Implications Participants in psychedelic therapy research aged 18–69 with varied backgrounds 2020 Rapid review n = 180

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