Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies in Patients With Serious Illness: Opportunities and Challenges
Michael Ljuslin, Kabir Nigam, Roxanne Sholevar, Alden Doerner Rinaldi, Sivan Schipper, Alesia Cloutier, Justin J. Sanders, Franklin King, Yvan Beaussant
Psychiatric Annals September 1, 2022 DOI: 10.3928/00485713-20220810-06 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Anxiety Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | Mental illness Psychological intervention Distress Modalities Depression economics Mental health Psychotherapist Stigma botany |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key findings | A growing body of evidence suggests the safety and efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapies to improve anxiety, depression, adjustment disorder, and existential distress in seriously ill people. |
Abstract
In addition to physical symptoms and treatment burden, people affected by serious illness experience psychological, social, and spiritual distress. Medical professionals who care for them, including psychiatrists and other mental health clinicians, attend to these multiple dimensions of suffering with the hope and promise of improving patients' quality of life. Yet anxiety, depression, adjustment disorder, and existential distress often prove resistant to existing medical or behavioral interventions. A growing body of evidence suggests the safety and efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapies (PATs) to improve these outcomes. As societal norms around the stigma of psychedelic agents shift, there is an increasing interest in integrating these treatment modalities into serious illness care. To promote awareness among mental health professionals, this article describes aspects of serious illness care that might be amenable to PATs, reviews the evidence documenting the safety and efficacy of PATs in serious illness care, and highlights some of the opportunities and challenges moving forward. [ Psychiatr Ann. 2022;52(9):359–364.]
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-based interventions: an overall review General (healthcare, schools, workplace) | 2021 | Review | |
| A Consensus Statement on the Use of Ketamine in the Treatment of Mood Disorders | 2017 | Review and consensus statement | |
| Sudarshan Kriya Yogic Breathing in the Treatment of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: Part II—Clinical Applications and Guidelines | 2005 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Meditation and Psychopathology | 2018 | Review | |
| Management of Treatment-Resistant Depression: Challenges and Strategies | 2020 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Psychedelic‐assisted therapy for palliative care within a home treatment setting: A case report Clinical Case Reports August 30, 2024
- Psychedelics and Related Pharmacotherapies as Integrative Medicine for Older Adults in Palliative Care. Clinics in geriatric medicine August 1, 2023
- Psychedelic-assisted therapies for existential and spiritual suffering in palliative care. Progress in Brain Research 2025
Cites 14
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- LSD-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety associated with a life-threatening disease: A qualitative study of acute and sustained subjective effects Journal of Psychopharmacology November 11, 2014
- Long-term follow-up of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for psychiatric and existential distress in patients with life-threatening cancer Journal of Psychopharmacology January 9, 2020
and 9 more in the library