Effects of psilocybin therapy on personality structure
David Erritzøe, Leor Roseman, Matthew M. Nour, Keir Maclean, Mendel Kaelen, D.j. Nutt, Robin Carhart-Harris
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica June 19, 2018 DOI: 10.1111/acps.12904 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Open-label study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 20 |
| Population | Patients with moderate or severe, unipolar, treatment-resistant depression |
| Intervention | Psilocybin with psychological support |
| Dose | 10 and 25 mg, one week apart |
| Duration | 3-month follow-up |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Neuroticism Extraversion and introversion Clinical psychology Agreeableness Personality assessment inventory Hallucinogen |
| Citations | 268 |
| Key points | Neuroticism decreased and extraversion increased following psilocybin therapy, with openness also increasing, and these changes were predicted by the degree of insightfulness during the psilocybin session. |
Abstract
Objective: To explore whether psilocybin with psychological support modulates personality parameters in patients suffering from treatment‐resistant depression (TRD).
Method: Twenty patients with moderate or severe, unipolar, TRD received oral psilocybin (10 and 25 mg, one week apart) in a supportive setting. Personality was assessed at baseline and at 3‐month follow‐up using the Revised NEO Personality Inventory ( NEO ‐ PI ‐R), the subjective psilocybin experience with Altered State of Consciousness ( ASC ) scale, and depressive symptoms with QIDS ‐ SR 16.
Results: Neuroticism scores significantly decreased while Extraversion increased following psilocybin therapy. These changes were in the direction of the normative NEO ‐ PI ‐R data and were both predicted, in an exploratory analysis, by the degree of insightfulness experienced during the psilocybin session. Openness scores also significantly increased following psilocybin, whereas Conscientiousness showed trend‐level increases, and Agreeableness did not change.
Conclusion: Our observation of changes in personality measures after psilocybin therapy was mostly consistent with reports of personality change in relation to conventional antidepressant treatment, although the pronounced increases in Extraversion and Openness might constitute an effect more specific to psychedelic therapy. This needs further exploration in future controlled studies, as do the brain mechanisms of postpsychedelic personality change.