August 1, 2025
Annabelle Swain
This literature review looks at how psilocybin, the active compound in "magic mushrooms," can help people deal with death anxiety; the deep fear of dying or losing control that shows up in lots of mental health struggles. While traditional treatments like SSRIs and talk therapy work for some people, they don't always get to the root of the problem. Psilocybin works differently. It changes brain...
Expert Opinion on Emerging Drugs
June 1, 2025
Maria-Alejandra Umbacia, Marta Ximena Leon, Jose-Manuel Quintero et al.
Although long known for their psychoactive effects, psychedelic drugs have only recently been investigated for medicinal use. Psilocybin has attracted the greatest interest with studies suggesting that it may be a useful agent in psychiatry and in palliative care. Clinical trials that included psilocybin were searched in PubMed, Embase, and ClinicalTrials.gov, demonstrating that adult...
Medical & Clinical Case Reports Journal
May 19, 2025
Andrés David Turizo Smith, Natalia Jaramillo, Diana Milena Berrío Cuartas
Psilocybin, a psychedelic compound in certain mushrooms, has been used for centuries in spiritual ceremonies and neuropsychiatric therapy.Despite its stigmatization as a Schedule I substance in 1970, research into psilocybin has resurged since the early 2000s, particularly in psychiatry and palliative care.This review examines psilocybins potential to improve the quality of life in palliative...
Palliative & Supportive Care
April 22, 2025
Maria I Lapid, Sandeep R Pagali, Andrea L Randall et al.
9 citations
Psychological and existential distress is prevalent among patients with life-threatening cancer, significantly impacting their quality of life. Psilocybin-assisted therapy has shown promise in alleviating these symptoms. This systematic review aims to synthesize the evidence on the efficacy and safety of psilocybin in reducing cancer-related distress. We searched MEDLINE, APA PsycINFO, Cochrane...
Palliative Medicine Reports
April 17, 2025
Michel Dorval, Sue-Ling Chang, Houman Farzin et al.
3 citations
Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy represents a promising addition to palliative care interventions, potentially improving quality of life by addressing existential distress. Despite its safety and effectiveness, this therapy remains limited in Canada, underscoring the need for improved access to ease suffering from life-threatening illnesses. However, important questions remain regarding how to...
Revista Cacto - Ciência Arte Comunicação em Transdisciplinaridade Online
April 3, 2025
Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia
Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) has gained recognition as an innovative intervention in hospice and palliative care, demonstrating potential in mitigating the psychological, spiritual, and existential distress experienced by patients with serious illnesses. This article explores the role of PAT within these care settings, emphasizing its influence on various dimensions of human suffering, as...
Cureus
March 17, 2025
Fejzic Dino
1 citation
The purpose of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current findings and data on the therapeutic effects of psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic alkaloid primarily found in Psilocybe mushrooms. This review covers psilocybin's efficacy and safety profile, therapeutic effects, proposed indications and contraindications, drug-drug interactions, adverse reactions,...
General Hospital Psychiatry
2025
Yvan Beaussant, Elise C. Tarbi, Kabir Nigam et al.
3 citations
Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) shows promise for cancer-related depression, yet little research has examined how therapeutic context shapes patient experiences. While set (mindset) and setting (environment) are considered central to psychedelic treatment, empirical evidence on their role in PAT acceptability remains limited. This study explores factors influencing the acceptability of PAT...
Integrative Cancer Therapies
2025
Haley D M Schuman, Sofia Barkova, Raèf Mina et al.
2 citations
People living with cancer (PLWC) often face profound existential distress that is insufficiently addressed by conventional psychosocial supports. This qualitative study explored PLWC's attitudes, beliefs, and experiences regarding psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) as a novel approach to addressing psychosocial suffering, particularly existential distress. Fifteen participants with varying...
International review of neurobiology
2025
Stephan Tap, Tijmen Bostoen, Joost J. Breeksema et al.
4 citations
Patients with a life-threatening disease (LTD) sometimes suffer from end-of-life distress (EOLD) which refers to the physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual suffering related to chronic illness and the possibility of death. Palliative care interventions seek to improve the quality of life of patients with EOLD and their significant others. Currently, a range of psychological and...