The Psychological Processes of Classic Psychedelics in the Treatment of Depression: A Systematic Review Protocol

A planned systematic review will identify and summarize psychological processes that may explain how psychedelic therapy reduces depression symptoms. The review will search Scopus, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science for studies on classic psychedelics used to treat depression in adults, focusing on proposed psychological mechanisms of symptom change. Two authors will independently screen studies, assess quality, and extract data. Empirical and non-empirical research will be analyzed separately using narrative synthesis. The review aims to present the current state of evidence, identify gaps, and generate candidate variables for future research, acknowledging limitations such as study heterogeneity and a lack of empirical work.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract BackgroundThere is currently renewed interest in the use of psychedelic therapy in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, including depression. The proposed systematic review will aim to identify, evaluate and summarise the psychological processes of change underlying psychedelic therapy for depression in the current literature and consider the implications these processes may have on the psychotherapy component of treatment. MethodsScopus, PsycINFO, PubMed and Web of Science databases will be searched using relevant terms. Studies will be included if they discuss the use of a classic psychedelic to treat depression symptomology in an adult population and report or propose psychological processes responsible for depression symptom change. Two authors will independently screen articles, complete quality assessment tools and conduct data extraction. Empirical and non-empirical research will be extracted and synthesised separately. A narrative synthesis approach will be used to report psychological processes identified in the literature. DiscussionThis systematic review will be the first to collate available evidence on the psychological processes associated with psychedelic therapy for depression. The preliminary nature of this research field is expected to result in the review having several limitations, namely heterogeneity between studies and a lack of empirical research. We intend for this review to present the current state of the literature, identify gaps and generate candidate variables that warrant further investigation. Systematic Review RegistrationPROSPERO CRD42020197202