Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for Parkinson's disease without depression: A case-report.
Vanessa Fleury, Emilie Tomkova, Sabina Catalano Chiuvé, Louise Penzenstadler
Journal of Parkinson's disease March 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1177/1877718x241312604 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Randomized Qualitative Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | Non-depressed 43-year-old female with a 2-year history of Parkinson's disease |
| Intervention | Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy |
| Dose | high-dose |
| Duration | Four sessions within one year, with one-year follow-up |
| Topics | Psilocybin Depression Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | Psilocybin therapy Parkinsons treatment Mental health outcomes Patient resilience Parkinson's disease Acceptance Quality of life Psychedelic medicine |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key findings | Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy with psilocybin improved acceptance, reduced pessimism and anxious rumination, and enhanced well-being in a Parkinson's disease patient without altering motor symptoms. |
Abstract
BackgroundPsychedelic assisted psychotherapy (PAP) can improve treatment-resistant depression. Its usefulness in Parkinson's disease (PD) is unknown. PD patients may have problems adjusting to their chronic progressive neurological disease. A change from emotional avoidance to acceptance has been reported following psilocybin administration in patients with treatment-resistant depression.ObjectiveTo report for the first time the effect of psilocybin in a PD patient.MethodsA non-depressed 43-year-old female with a 2-year history of PD presented with difficulty adjusting to PD, anxious ruminations and pessimism. The patient declined an increase in dopaminergic medication or the introduction of an anxiolytic. Therapeutic patient education was not beneficial. The patient received four sessions of high-dose PAP within one year. Neurological and psychiatric assessments were performed before and at one year follow-up using qualitative interviews and quantitative assessment of motor status, dispositional optimism, depression, anxiety, apathy, and well-being.ResultsPAP was well tolerated. It significantly improved the patient's overall pessimistic outlook on her future and decreased her anxious ruminations and worries about potential handicap due to PD. Her general well-being improved, as well as all psychometric scores except for the apathy scale. Motor status remained unchanged. Better acceptance of PD allowed her to accept pharmacological treatment adjustment.ConclusionsPAP could be a safe and useful treatment for PD patients with dispositional pessimism and difficulties accepting their disease by promoting profound decentration from habitual thoughts and emotions, improving mood and PD acceptance. Randomized, controlled studies are needed to confirm this result.
Comparable studies
Other case reports and case series on psilocybin and psychedelic-assisted therapy, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prolonged adverse effects from repeated psilocybin use in an underground psychedelic therapy training program: a case report | 2025 | Case study | |
| Suicide of a patient shortly after psilocybin-assisted psychedelic therapy: A case report 60-year-old man with recurrent depression and history of delusions | 2025 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Refractory CRPS pain treated with psilocybin: A case report A patient with refractory complex regional pain syndrome | 2024 | Case study | n = 1 |
| Underground small-group therapy of treatment-resistant depression and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) with psilocybin—A retrospective case study A woman in her early forties with early complex trauma and treatment-resistant depression | 2023 | Case report | n = 1 |
| Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for methamphetamine dependence: a case report involving daily methamphetamine use A 36-year-old transwoman who was a daily methamphetamine user | 2024 | Case study | n = 1 |