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Multidimensional Personality Changes Following Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy in Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder: Results From a Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

Noam Goldway, Snehal Bhatt, Stephen Ross, Broc A. Pagni, Richard J. Zeifman, Sarah E. Mennenga, Brennan M. Carrithers, Kelley C. O’donnell, Michael P. Bogenschutz

American Journal of Psychiatry 2025 DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20230887 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Randomized controlled trial Placebo-controlled Double-blind Peer reviewed
Population People with alcohol use disorder
Intervention Psilocybin-assisted therapy
Topics Addiction Psilocybin
Keywords Alcohol dependence Placebo Clinical psychology Personality disorders Randomized controlled trial Trait Psychotherapist
Citations 23
Key findings Psilocybin-assisted therapy produced durable shifts in personality, suggesting normalization of abnormal personality trait expression in alcohol use disorder.

Abstract

PAT elicited durable shifts in personality, suggesting normalization of abnormal personality trait expression in AUD. Further study is needed to clarify whether PAT exerts its beneficial effects by reducing impulsiveness or whether impulsive individuals inherently respond better to PAT.

Comparable studies

Other randomized controlled trials on psilocybin for addiction, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Percentage of Heavy Drinking Days Following Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy vs Placebo in the Treatment of Adult Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder Adults aged 25–65 with DSM-IV alcohol dependence and at least 4 heavy drinking days in... 2022 Randomized controlled trial n = 95
Clinical Interpretations of Patient Experience in a Trial of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy for Alcohol Use Disorder Participants in an ongoing trial of psilocybin-assisted treatment for alcohol use disorder 2018 Double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial n = 3
Psilocybin-assisted therapy for relapse prevention in alcohol use disorder: a phase 2 randomized clinical trial Patients with alcohol use disorder 2025 Randomized controlled trial
Psilocybin-induced changes in neural reactivity to alcohol and emotional cues in patients with alcohol use disorder: an fMRI pilot study Adult patients with alcohol use disorder 2024 Pilot study; randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial n = 11
Psilocybin for alcohol use disorder: Rationale and design considerations for a randomized controlled trial. Alcohol-dependent volunteers 2022 Randomized controlled trial n = 96

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