CURRENT STATE OF PSILOCYBIN-ASSISTED THERAPY IN MOOD DISORDERS
Astrid Kaiserman, Charles Kornreich, Laetitia Vanderijst
Psychiatria Danubina July 17, 2024 DOI: 10.24869/psyd.2024.174 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Psilocybin-assisted therapy |
| Topics | Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Psychotherapist Mood disorders Medline Clinical psychology |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | Psilocybin-assisted therapy is safe and feasible, with preliminary efficacy showing significant improvements in depressive and anxious symptomatology that are immediate and partially sustained. |
Abstract
Psychedelics are currently undergoing a scientific renaissance, with modern studies investigating therapeutic efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapy in a range of psychiatric conditions. In particular, psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) has been suggested to have positive effects on patients suffering from depression and psychiatric distress associated with life-threatening disease - contexts with growing needs for alternative treatments - in a therapeutic setting involving fewer doses and less important adverse effect compared to that of classic psychotrope administration. Psychedelics are partial agonists of the serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) G protein-coupled receptors, whose activation likely mediates the acute psychoactive effects. Furthermore, psychedelics seem to induce a hyper-plastic state which allows for adaptation of inflexible pathological thinking patterns. Post-acutely, they are suggested to induce rapid, robust and sustained neuroplasticity. Eight clinical PAT trials have been conducted between January 1st 2001 and March 31st 2023 and are reviewed here. Five of them evaluate the effect on depressive symptomatology in an otherwise general population. The other three evaluate effect on depression and anxiety in patients suffering from somatic life-threatening disease. The studies reviewed here show that PAT is safe and feasible to administer in current clinical models. Preliminary efficacy shows significant improvements in depressive and anxious symptomatology which are immediate and partially sustained. One study comparing PAT to selective serotonergic reuptake inhibitors showed no significant difference of efficacy between the two treatments. Preliminary results regarding efficacy of PAT on mood disorders are promising, but further research is warranted for stronger inferences, with a particular focus on larger, multicentric studies, more diverse populations and a stronger control for expectancy and unblinding.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on psilocybin, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic psychedelics: An integrative review of epidemiology, therapeutics, mystical experience, and brain network function. General population | 2019 | Integrative review | |
| The pharmacology of psilocybin | 2002 | Review | |
| Serotonin research: contributions to understanding psychoses | 2008 | Review | |
| Psychedelics, Meditation, and Self-Consciousness | 2018 | Review | |
| The abuse potential of medical psilocybin according to the 8 factors of the Controlled Substances Act | 2018 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cites 20
- Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial Journal of Psychopharmacology November 30, 2016
- Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: an open-label feasibility study. The Lancet Psychiatry May 17, 2016
- Trial of Psilocybin versus Escitalopram for Depression New England Journal of Medicine April 14, 2021
- Pilot Study of Psilocybin Treatment for Anxiety in Patients With Advanced-Stage Cancer Archives of General Psychiatry September 7, 2010
- REBUS and the Anarchic Brain: Toward a Unified Model of the Brain Action of Psychedelics Pharmacological Reviews June 20, 2019
and 15 more in the library