Psychedelics have been studied since the 1950s as a potential treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD), with over a dozen clinical trials of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and several contemporary trials of psilocybin and ayahuasca for this indication. Herein, we characterize foundational studies from the 1950s to the present, with emphasis on key design ...
Background: Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a chronic pathological condition with significant burdens throughout the world. Despite the effectiveness of the current pharmacological treatments, the ongoing issues with AUD and the high relapse rates necessitate the exploration of innovative therapies, including the use of psychedelic drugs, which have shown prom...
Professor Stephen Ross is a prominent faculty member in the Departments of Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the New York University (NYU) Grossman School of Medicine who has transformed the landscape of psychedelic research since 2006. In this Genomic Press Interview, Dr. Ross reveals how as co-director of the NYU Langone Center for Psychede...
A recent randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial (NCT02061293) found that psilocybin-assisted therapy significantly improved drinking outcomes compared to an active placebo in adults with alcohol use disorder (AUD). In this secondary analysis, we assessed whether psilocybin-assisted therapy improved self-compassion and whether thes...
A recent randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial (NCT02061293) found that psilocybin-assisted therapy significantly improved drinking outcomes compared to an active placebo in adults with alcohol use disorder (AUD). In this secondary analysis, we assessed whether psilocybin-assisted therapy improved self-compassion and whether thes...
OBJECTIVES: Psychedelics may be promising treatments for substance use disorders (SUD). This study aims to understand how individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD), opioid use disorder (OUD), and psychiatric disorders perceive and experience psychedelics for both nonmedical and medical use. METHODS: Data for this cross-sectional survey study were collected...
AbstractAlcohol use disorder (AUD) has devastating effects, and its prevalence in the US is growing. It is therefore important to examine multiple avenues for successful cessation and continued abstinence. Disulfiram, oral naltrexone, naltrexone IM, and acamprosate are currently the only four medications approved for the treatment of AUD by the FDA. This rev...
BACKGROUND: Psychedelic treatment is a rapidly emerging therapeutic approach for a host of chronic, difficult to treat psychiatric disorders, including anorexia nervosa (AN). Trauma and its sequelae, such as dissociation, often contribute to comorbidity and treatment refractoriness. AIMS: In this report, we describe the therapeutic emergence of previously di...
The current chapter presents the literature evaluating the effects of classic psychedelic treatments on five substance use disorders: alcohol, tobacco, opioid, stimulant, and cannabis. Most work on psychedelics and substance use disorders was conducted for alcohol use disorder. A range of classic psychedelics (LSD, psilocybin, and ayahuasca) appear to be ben...
Psilocybin, a serotonergic psychedelic, may have therapeutic benefits for Substance Use Disorders (SUDs), but its overall efficacy and safety remain uncertain. This systematic review assessed the safety and efficacy of psilocybin for SUDs through a systematic database search conducted via OVID on May 22, 2024, and summarized 26 ongoing clinical trials regist...
Psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic compound, has garnered renewed scientific interest for its potential in treating psychiatric and neurological disorders. This review systematically examines the latest research on psilocybin's pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, clinical efficacy, and safety profile. Emerging evidence supports its efficacy in con...
Adults with alcohol use disorder who received two sessions of psilocybin-assisted therapy demonstrated personality shifts toward normalization of abnormal trait expression, a secondary analysis of a randomized trial has found. A decrease in impulsiveness was found to be associated with reduced drinking post-treatment, with the strongest effect for psilocybin...
Up to 40% of people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) experience depression. Depression is a risk factor for early relapse of AUD after withdrawal in a controlled environment. Promising data suggest the effectiveness of psilocybin, a psychedelic-type treatment, in depression and AUD. Following the acute effects of the psychedelic experience, which lasts approx...
This scoping review addresses the need to comprehensively explore the potential of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) to facilitate recovery from moral injury. Moral injury (MI), characterized by profound psychological distress arising from morally challenging experiences, has garnered increased attention as a complex mental health concern with signifi...
Psychedelics have recently gained attention as potential therapeutic agents for treating patients with substance use disorders, with studies showing promise of psychedelics for reducing substance use and cravings. Despite a limited number of well-controlled modern trials examining psilocybin treatment for alcohol or tobacco use disorder, the available eviden...
