Background: This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluates the efficacy and safety of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) for adults with major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods: A PROSPERO-registered search (CRD42024561979) of CENTRAL, Scopus, PsycINFO, and MEDLINE (2010-2024) identified clinical trials assessing PAP. Risk of bias was assessed usin...
Abstract Background and Aims Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) is a novel, transdiagnostic treatment in which the 5-HT2A receptor agonist psilocybin is combined with psychotherapy. Studies to date have evaluated PAP's effects on depression, substance use, and end-of-life adjustment. Relatively less attention has been given to its effects on anxiety sym...
Psilocybin, the chemical component of "magic mushrooms", has been administered with psychotherapy in several randomized clinical trials (RCTs) showing large and sustained antidepressant effects. In healthy volunteers, the psychedelic effects of psilocybin have been shown to be blocked by administration of serotonin (5HT)2A receptor antagonists such as risper...
This study will serve as a pilot randomized controlled trial to assess the feasibility of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy (PAP) in Treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Patients with severe IBS will undergo 3 pre-psychotherapy sessions with two licensed and trained psychedelic therapists, then will be randomized to undergo a guided psychotherapy session...
Anhedonia, a core symptom of depression, is often resistant to conventional treatments and significantly impacts quality of life. This secondary analysis aimed to evaluate the effects of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) on anhedonia severity in individuals with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Participants (n = 30) with TRD and a primary diagnosi...
BACKGROUND: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a debilitating mental disorder commonly treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, atypical antipsychotic augmentation and cognitive-behavioural therapy. However, up to 60% of people with OCD do not respond to these treatments. Therefore, a novel intervention, psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PA...
The purpose of this research is to study the safety and effects of single-dose psilocybin 25mg versus an active placebo (single dose niacin 100mg) in the treatment of anxiety, depression, and existential distress (i.e., loss of meaning and hope; fear of death) in advanced cancer (i.e., stage 3 or 4). Study medications will be administered in conjunction with...
Background: Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) may be an effective intervention for a range of mental disorders. However, there appears to be a relative lack of qualitative evidence to complement emerging quantitative findings. To our knowledge, no reviews have systematically mapped the literature on qualitative studies on PAP for the treatment of menta...
BACKGROUND: Cognitive difficulties within treatment-resistant unipolar and bipolar depression (TRD; TRBD) often do not improve with conventional pharmacotherapies. Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) has shown promise as a novel intervention for TRD; however, few studies have assessed its effects on cognition in this population. METHODS: This retrospecti...
BACKGROUND: Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) has gained attention as a promising intervention for conditions including depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, but understanding of its side-effects is limited. This review evaluates the quality of side-effects reporting in PAP trials, to guide treatment, policy and research. AIMS: To ass...
BACKGROUND: Depression and burnout, which are common among healthcare workers, were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and psilocybin have been reported to reduce depressive symptoms, but the efficacy of the combination requires comparison to an active treatment control. We sought to evaluate the safety and prelim...
BACKGROUND: Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) is a promising treatment for various psychiatric disorders. However, the exact biological and psychological mechanisms of action of PAP remain to be determined. Examining predictors of PAP outcomes may help identify necessary processes for positive treatment outcomes. Mystical experiences are considered a k...
OBJECTIVE: To compare changes in depression, anxiety, and suicidality symptoms after a single 25 mg oral dose of psilocybin between treatment-resistant depression participants not on antidepressants at screening to participants that discontinued antidepressant medications leading up to receiving psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP). METHODS: Participants ...
This study aims to investigate the effects of a single dose of psilocybin, delivered in the contextof pre- and post-dose psychotherapy, on symptoms of depression and burnout suffered by healthcare clinicians as a result of frontline work in the COVID pandemic. Aim 1: To assess short- and longer-term effects of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) on sympt...
Music has been identified as a central feature of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) and has hitherto been understood to amplify the psychedelic experience in a predictable way that has been codified into music recommendations and playlists. To re-evaluate the nature and role of music within the participant's world during psychedelic-assisted psychothe...
OBJECTIVE: Unipolar and bipolar depression severely impact millions of individuals worldwide, with a significant subset of cases remaining unresponsive to conventional treatments. Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) has demonstrated therapeutic efficacy; however, the optimal psychotherapeutic approach remains undefined, ranging from unstructured models r...
BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence to support the use of the psychedelic drug psilocybin for difficult-to-treat depression. This paper compares the cost-effectiveness of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) with conventional medication, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and the combination of conventional medication and CBT. METHODS: A decision mode...
