Anxiety disorders are chronic health conditions affecting the quality of life of millions of people. Psilocin, the active moiety of psilocybin, provides an anxiolytic effect; however, when orally administered as psilocybin, it only offers a moderate level of bioavailability and less predictable pharmacokinetics, potentially making effects after absorption va...
Nicotine dependence remains a leading cause of preventable mortality worldwide. Pharmacotherapy and behavioral interventions offer modest efficacy with limited long-term success. Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) is an emerging approach to nicotine cessation with a growing evidence base. As PAP research expands, understanding how nicotine users’ attitu...
Introduction Mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), remain a significant global health concern, requiring novel therapeutic approaches. Psilocybin, a psychedelic compound found in certain mushrooms, has shown potential in modulating neuroplasticity, a critical process for cognitive flexibility and m...
This study examined patient perspectives on psilocybin therapy, specifically their acceptance and views on the therapeutic benefits of both hallucinogenic and non-hallucinogenic forms. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among psychiatric patients aged 18-65 at a community mental health center, assessing their attitudes, knowledge, and acceptance of psilo...
Long COVID lacks effective pharmaceutical treatment options. Psychedelic treatment for long COVID has received attention given anecdotal reports of neuropsychiatric symptom improvement. This study investigates the use of psilocybin for neuropsychiatric long COVID symptoms, examining online accounts of individuals with reported long COVID using psilocybin. We...
Psychoactive substances used for recreational purposes have mind-altering effects, but systematic evaluation of these effects is largely limited to self-reports. Automated analysis of expressed language (speech and written text) using natural language processing (NLP) tools can provide objective readouts of mental states. In this pre-registered systematic re...
As psilocybin awaits approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), scholars debate whether psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy should be required when prescribing this medicine. Here, we report the case of a patient who underwent a psilocybin experience without psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, resulting in inpatient psychiatric admission. This case u...
BackgroundPeripheral levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are often used as a biomarker for the rapid plasticity-promoting effects of ketamine, psychedelics, and other psychoplastogens in humans. However, studies analyzing peripheral BDNF after psychoplastogen exposure show mixed results. In this meta-analysis, we aimed to test whether the rapi...
Psilocybin-containing mushrooms, commonly known as magic mushrooms, drastically affect mental processing, cognitive functioning, and the mood state. In the present study, we investigated the effect of the Psilocybe cubensis extract on spatial memory and the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in rats exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). ...
Background Currently, there are great hopes for psychedelic substances in treating psychiatric conditions and improving well-being. These substances are illegal in many countries, and we lack knowledge of how conflicting discourses shape psychedelic use in naturalistic settings. This study explores how psilocybin use is made meaningful by participants and st...
For 3000 years, psychedelics have been used in religious contexts to enhance spiritual thinking, well-being, and a sense of community. In the last few years, a renaissance in the use of psychedelic drugs for mental disorders has occurred in Western society; consequently, a pressing scientific need to elucidate the intricate mechanisms underlying their action...
In the contemporary landscape of psychiatric medicine, critical advancements have been noted in the utilization of psychoactive substances such as hallucinogens, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and ketamine for the treatment of severe mental health disorders. This review provides a detailed evaluation of these substances, focusing on their mechanis...
With the discovery of the antidepressive effects of ketamine and the increasing withdrawal of the pharmaceutical industry from the development of new psychotropic drugs, the psychiatric research into the clinical application of hallucinogens in psychiatry has literally blossomed in the last two decades. Promising results for various treatment approaches with...
OBJECTIVE: Patterns of psilocybin use in nonclinical settings are not well described in the literature. Psilocybin use can involve infrequent, large (i.e., macro) doses that produce hallucinogenic effects. In addition, some people report psilocybin use at particularly small (i.e., micro), sub-perceptual doses. Given the heterogeneity in reported use metrics,...
Psilocybin has reemerged as a promising treatment for difficult-to-treat depression (DTD). Although there is limited evidence regarding interactions between psilocybin and other psychotropic drugs, clinical trials require that patients discontinue their antidepressants before study entry to isolate the benefits of psilocybin and to minimize the risk of adver...
In the past few years, psilocybin, a psychedelic compound found in "magic mushrooms" (psilocybin mushrooms), has undergone decriminalization in numerous cities across the US and has been legalized in Oregon and Colorado. Proponents of psilocybin decriminalization have emphasized its therapeutic potential in treating mental health disorders. Furthermore, psil...
Introduction Since the last edition of the Black Book, several innovative agents have been approved or are poised to be approved in the coming year. These include novel antidepressants, the first muscarine agonist for the treatment of schizophrenia, the first psychedelic which may be approved for the treatment of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), and th...
Data on medication interactions with psychedelics are limited. Here we present what may be the first published report of a hypertensive emergency following the combination of psilocybin mushrooms with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI). A42-year-old man with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder took 1 g of Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms, while presc...
Introduction Recently, the pros and cons have been debating in Korea even before the approval of use of medical marijuana with very strict limitations. And the next controversial topic is psychedelics. In 1890, when mescaline was first isolated from peyote cactus, clinical researches began, but due to its harmful effects, it was thereafter legally prohibited...