BACKGROUND: The claustrum, a subcortical structure densely expressing 5-hydroxytryptamine 2 A (5-HT2A) receptors, has been implicated in sensory integration, emotional regulation, salience, and attention. Despite its hypothesized involvement in the effects of serotonergic psychedelics, the neurochemical impact of these substances on claustral neurotransmissi...
Psilocybe cubensis mushrooms are typically not consumed for their nutritional value. The main reason people ingest these mushrooms is for their psychoactive effects. Recently, there has been growing interest in the potential therapeutic applications of psilocybin-containing mushrooms in a range of psychiatric conditions, including depression, anxiety disorde...
Humans have long used classical serotonergic psychedelics, such as psilocybin, for a variety of purposes. Entactogens, such as methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), emerged during the twentieth century and have likewise seen use in a broad range of settings. Interest has arisen in the use of classical psychedelics and entactogens, together termed "psychedeli...
Psychotic symptoms are uncommon and non-specific adverse effects of classic (serotonergic) psychedelics such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), psilocybin, and mescaline. They can emerge during the acute phase of psychedelic drug effects, persist into the subacute ("afterglow") period, or, in rare cases, develop into long-term psychotic illness. Across all...
Major depressive disorder (MDD), including treatment-resistant depression (TRD), is a highly prevalent psychiatric disorder. MDD is associated with severe suffering, burden and large economical costs. Although various conventional antidepressant treatments are available, a large portion of depressed people does not or not adequately respond to the first-line...
Approximately 15% of pregnant women experience postpartum depression (PPD). Even with currently available antidepressant treatments, many women will continue to be impaired by symptoms. Psychedelic therapy offers a promising transdiagnostic therapeutic strategy for several mental health disorders, and early results from current trials suggest that serotonerg...
Background: Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy has shown promising results for treating alcohol use disorder (AUD) and other mental health conditions. Although the precise mechanisms of psychedelic therapies remain unclear, many studies report increased feelings of connectedness following psychedelic experiences. Specifically, both nature relatedness (one’s ...
BackgroundThe Altered States of Consciousness Scale (3/5D-ASC or 11-ASC) is widely used to assess non-ordinary states of consciousness, particularly for psychedelic research. However, its original dimensional model (3D-ASC within 5D-ASC) and later 11-subscale structure (11-ASC) have a hierarchically incompatible higher/lower-order structure. Although the 11-...
Background: Psilocybin therapy is an emerging treatment for cancer-related anxiety, depression, and existential distress. Most clinical trials to date have studied individual models of psilocybin therapy, but group models may offer increased access and benefits of community. Purpose: This technical report describes a group facilitation model developed for an...
Dear Editor, In view of ongoing global research on mental health, especially Major Depressive Disorder, we would like to draw attention to a psychedelic substance, Psilocybin, which has been emerging as a viable treatment option for MDD. Psilocybin is a psychedelic compound derived from certain mushrooms that acts on Serotonergic receptors (primarily 5HT-2A)...
Background: Psilocybin has been granted breakthrough therapy status in the United States, speeding its advancement from research to clinical care. Due to the controversial nature of psilocybin, psychiatrists may not be fully prepared to incorporate it into clinical practice. The current study aimed to evaluate the opinions toward psilocybin among practicing ...
Personality disorders (PDs) are characterized by rigid and maladaptive patterns of self- and interpersonal functioning, leading to high clinical burden and limited treatment outcomes. Schema Therapy (ST), an integrative psychotherapy rooted in cognitive-behavioral principles, conceptualizes PDs in terms of Early Maladaptive Schemas (EMS)-pervasive cognitive-...
Introduction:Psilocybin, a classical psychedelic, has shown to produce persistent antidepressant effects, including in patients with treatment-resistant depression. In clinical practice, it is common to coprescribe benzodiazepines (BZDs) alongside antidepressants. However, our preliminary study indicated that preadministration of lorazepam diminished the ant...
Classical psychedelics, like lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and psilocybin, can alter perception, emotion, and cognition, and have shown promise as 're-purposed' treatments for some psychiatric disorders. Recent trials have, e.g., demonstrated rapid and sustained symptom relief in treatment-resistant depression. While promisi...
The global demographic shift toward aging populations has intensified the need for innovative therapeutic interventions targeting late-life mental health conditions, notably depression, loneliness, and existential distress. Traditional pharmacological treatments often exhibit limited efficacy and poor tolerability in older patients, primarily due to age-rela...
Background Classic serotonergic psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin show promising antidepressant effects in controlled trials, but real-world data from routine clinical care remain limited. Methods This study retrospectively analysed routine data from adults with treatment-resistant depressive and/or anxiety disorders who received a first standardized P...
Griffiths et al.'s recent "Effects of Psilocybin on Religious and Spiritual Attitudes and Behaviors in Clergy from Various Major World Religions" is an important study in the literature on psychedelic medicine and religious experience. In this commentary on the study, we argue: (1) The study design's implicit presupposition of perennialism in its conception ...
