Salicylate intoxication is a cause of tinnitus and comorbidly associated with anxiety in humans. In a previous work, we showed that salicylate induces anxiety-like behavior and hippocampal type 2 theta oscillations (theta2) in mice. Here we investigate if the anxiogenic effect of salicylate is dependent on age and previous tinnitus experience. We also tested whether a single dose of DMT can...
The authors review the history of and recent research on the psychotherapeutic efficacy of psychedelic drugs. Psychedelic drugs appear to provide access to unconscious material and, when used in a therapeutic context, may cause deep and longstanding psychological change. The psychological effects of psychedelic drugs are reviewed from the perspective of Jungian theory. A series of clinical...
Background: Rapid-acting antidepressants ketamine and (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine ((2R,6R)-HNK) have overcome some of the major limitations of classical antidepressants. However, little is known about sex-specific differences in the behavioral and molecular effects of ketamine and (2R,6R)-HNK in rodents. Methods: We treated mice with an intraperitoneal injection of either saline, ketamine (30 mg...
This quasi-experimental study used a convenience sample of nursing students (n = 49) to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation on anxiety. Students participated in mindfulness meditation sessions and completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. A statistically significant reduction in trait anxiety was found in the intervention group (p = .000); state anxiety decreased but not...
Increasing prevalence and burden of major depressive disorder presents an unavoidable problem for psychiatry. Existing antidepressants exert their effect only after several weeks of continuous treatment. In addition, their serious side effects and ineffectiveness in one-third of patients call for urgent action. Recent advances have given rise to the concept of psychoplastogens. These compounds...
Psilocybin shows efficacy to alleviate depression in human clinical trials for six or more months after only one or two treatments. Another hallucinogenic drug, esketamine, has recently been U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved as a rapid-acting antidepressant. The mechanistic basis for the antidepressant effects of psilocybin and ketamine appear to be conserved. The efficacy of...
Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation (MM) on anxiety, depression, stress and mindfulness in nursing students. Methods A comprehensive search and screening procedures were conducted to locate all MM interventions implemented with nursing students. For randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in accordance with the inclusion criteria, a...
Abstract Objectives To test whether a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program could reduce symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression, and increase psychological well-being among retired Iranian football players compared to an active control group. Design Randomized controlled trial, with an 8-week MBSR intervention (16 group sessions, 90 min each) and an active control group. Three...
Background: We previously reported that ketamine has anxiolytic effects in patients with treatment-resistant generalized anxiety and social anxiety disorders. Aims: The purpose of this study was to replicate our earlier report about ketamine‘s anxiolytic activity, using a more robust study design. Methods: This was a double-blind, psychoactive-controlled ascending dose study in 12 patients with...
Abstract Psychedelics and hallucinogens represent some of the most commonly used drugs in the world, with a history of use steeped in spirituality, counter-culture, and more recently latent therapeutic potential. Sharing a common mechanism of action at the 5-HT2a receptor, drugs such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin, while they can rarely induce significant short-term...
Rationale: Microdosing psychedelics – the practice of consuming small, sub-hallucinogenic doses of substances such as LSD or psilocybin – is gaining attention in popular media but remains poorly characterized. Contemporary studies of psychedelic microdosing have yet to report the basic psychiatric descriptors of psychedelic microdosers. Objectives: To examine the practices and demographics of a...
The efficacy of psychedelic-assisted therapies for mental disorders has been attributed to the lasting change from experiential avoidance to acceptance that these treatments appear to facilitate. This article presents a conceptual model that specifies potential psychological mechanisms underlying such change, and that shows substantial parallels between psychedelic therapy and cognitive...
Anxiety disorders (generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and agoraphobia) are common, distressing, and impairing. While pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy are first-line treatment strategies for anxiety disorders, many patients are reluctant to take psychiatric medication, and many prefer to avoid any kind of mental health treatment due to stigma or distrust of...
Although mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have garnered empirical support for a wide range of psychological conditions, the psychological processes that mediate the relationship between MBIs and subsequent symptomatic improvement are less well-understood. In the present study we sought to examine, for the first time, the relationship between mindfulness, negative interpretation bias as...
Psilocybin is a classic psychedelic compound that may have efficacy for the treatment of mood and substance use disorders. Acute psilocybin effects include reduced negative mood, increased positive mood, and reduced amygdala response to negative affective stimuli. However, no study has investigated the long-term, enduring impact of psilocybin on negative affect and associated brain function....
Study design: Online survey of individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI). Objective: This pilot study examined associations between mindfulness factors, resilience, and levels of depression and anxiety after SCI. Setting: Community-based; United States. Methods: A survey was posted online and shared with individuals with recent SCI (≤5 years). Results: Thirty-four individuals responded to the...
The objective of this study was to examine the efficacy of a novel binaural beat meditation technology for the treatment of anxiety symptoms in both psychiatric outpatients and nonpatients. Twenty psychiatric outpatients with anxiety disorder and eight individuals (nonpatients) in the healing professions were given the opportunity to use this meditation technology over the course of 2 weeks to...
Though there was initial interest in the use of psychedelic drugs for psychiatric treatment, bad outcomes and subsequent passage of the Substance Act of 1970, which placed psychedelic drugs in the Schedule I category, significantly limited potential progress. More recently, however, there has been renewal in interest and promise of psychedelic research. The purpose of this review is to...
The aim of the study was to understand the perspectives of mental health consumers, staff, and yoga teachers on the characteristics of a yoga-based intervention to be developed for consumers with a long-term mental health condition, in addition to anxiety and/or depression. Two focus groups were held with mental health consumers (n = 8), two focus groups with mental health staff (n = 13) from a...
Mood disorders are the most prevalent mental conditions encountered in psychiatric practice. Numerous patients suffering from mood disorders present with treatment-resistant forms of depression, co-morbid anxiety, other psychiatric disorders and bipolar disorders. Standardized essential oils (such as that of Lavender officinalis) have been shown to exert clinical efficacy in treating anxiety...