A Modern Overview of the Potential Therapeutic Effects of Psilocybin in the Treatment of Depressive Disorders, Treatment-Resistant Depression, and End-of-Life Distress
Fejzic Dino
Cureus March 17, 2025 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.80707 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Psilocybin |
| Topics | Depression End-of-life distress Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Hallucinogens Psychedelics Treatment resistant depression Treatment-resistant depression trd Psychedelic medicine Hallucinogenic treatment Refractory depression Medication-resistant depression Clinical trials |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Psilocybin demonstrates therapeutic efficacy and safety for conditions like treatment-resistant depression and end-of-life distress, with rapid antidepressant effects, but requires careful patient screening and supervision. |
Abstract
The purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current findings and data on the therapeutic effects of psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic alkaloid primarily found in Psilocybe mushrooms. This review covers psilocybin's efficacy and safety profile, therapeutic effects, proposed indications and contraindications, drug-drug interactions, adverse reactions, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and dosing regimens as treatment guidelines. The goal is to offer a consolidated resource containing the essential pharmaceutical information on psilocybin currently available.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on psilocybin for end-of-life distress, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy in the Context of Serious Illness. Palliative care clinicians and patients | 2022 | Review | |
| The Potential of Psychedelics for End of Life and Palliative Care. Patients with life-threatening diagnoses | 2022 | Review | |
| Psilocybin in Palliative Care: An Update. Palliative care patients | 2023 | Review | |
| Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for existential distress: practical considerations for therapeutic application—a review | 2024 | Narrative review | |
| Psychedelics for the treatment of end-of-life distress in patients with a life-threatening disease. Patients with life-threatening disease and end-of-life distress | 2025 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cites 53
- Rapid and sustained symptom reduction following psilocybin treatment for anxiety and depression in patients with life-threatening cancer: a randomized controlled trial Journal of Psychopharmacology November 30, 2016
- Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 23, 2012
- Single-Dose Psilocybin for a Treatment-Resistant Episode of Major Depression. New England Journal of Medicine November 3, 2022
- The pharmacology of psilocybin Addiction Biology October 1, 2002
- Acute psychological and physiological effects of psilocybin in healthy humans: a double-blind, placebo-controlled dose?effect study Psychopharmacology March 1, 2004
and 48 more in the library