The goal of this randomized placebo controlled trial is to compare the antidepressant effect of a single oral dose of psilocybin 25 mg compared to 1 mg in 100 patients with cancer related major depressive disorder. The main question it aims to answer is: The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a single 25 mg oral dose of psilocybin...
BACKGROUND: Major depression is a prevalent condition among patients with life-threatening illnesses, such as cancer, and recent findings suggest that psilocybin may hold promising treatment potential. Contemporary trials of psilocybin generally employ a model that includes psychotherapeutic support consisting of preparation and integration sessions surround...
Psilocybin, a serotonergic psychedelic, has gained attention as a potential treatment for various psychiatric conditions. In this review, the authors summarize current clinical evidence related to psilocybin’s efficacy, safety, and mechanisms of action across psychiatric disorders. Findings from early-phase and small-scale clinical trials suggest rapid but v...
Recreational psychedelic use is increasing, yet data on adverse events remains limited. This study characterized emergency department (ED) visits associated with recreational psychedelic use at UC San Diego Medical Center. We conducted a retrospective chart review of ED encounters (2010-2023). Cases were identified using ICD-10 hallucinogen-related codes and...
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and chronic pain are independently debilitating conditions that frequently co-occur. This comorbidity poses a significant clinical challenge, resulting in greater symptom severity, higher disability, and worse prognosis than either condition alone. Current therapies often address each disorder in isolation, leaving individuals...
Classical serotonergic psychedelics (e.g., LSD, psilocybin, DMT) alter perception and neuroplasticity primarily via 5-HT2A receptor activation and downstream Ca 2+ -dependent signaling cascades. Here we propose a speculative yet falsifiable pharmacological hypothesis that these drug-induced biochemical cascades might interface with quantum-mechanical process...
Major depressive disorder remains a leading cause of disability worldwide, and current antidepressants are limited by delayed onset and incomplete response. Building on advances driven by ketamine research, renewed interest has focused on classical serotonergic psychedelics-particularly psilocybin, N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), 5-methoxy-DMT, and lysergic ac...
Psychedelics are increasingly described as a new therapeutic approach in a variety of mental disorders including depression. Oral psychedelics such as psilocybin have an acute effect evolving over 6-8 h and are generally given in combination with psychological support. There is debate on the exact role of this support and how and by whom it should be deliver...
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Australia recently down-scheduled and authorised psychedelic-assisted therapies, including psilocybin, for certain mental health conditions. Evidence is emerging for potential application in substance use disorder treatment. However, regulatory developments have outpaced implementation readiness. While service leaders and clinicians are ...
Background: Self-stigma refers to the internalization of negative societal beliefs and has been associated with reduced self-efficacy, self-esteem and treatment avoidance among substance users. However, little research has explored antecedents of self-stigma such as substance use motives. This may be particularly salient for psilocybin which is used both as ...
Abstract Adolescent refractory mental health disorders are rising globally, contributing to long-term morbidity and substantial societal burden. Conventional psychotropic medications and psychotherapeutic approaches sometimes fail to provide adequate relief, necessitating an interest in novel investigational interventions. Classic psychedelic compounds-Psilo...
INTRODUCTION: After decades of regulatory marginalization, psychedelic compounds have reemerged as promising therapeutic tools in psychiatry, driven by unmet clinical needs in treatment-resistant mental disorders and by growing evidence of rapid and sustained effects on mood, cognition, and behavior. AREAS COVERED: This narrative review critically examined t...
While the limitations of existing treatment options have spurred investigations into the applicability of psychedelic therapies for chronic and treatment-resistant psychological disorders, there remain significant unresolved issues pertaining to how these treatments should be regulated and the implementation of an ethical framework for their widespread deliv...
RATIONALE: The nature and role of the psychological support provided in psychedelic-assisted treatments for psychiatric disorders are currently the object of debate. How this support is conceptualized-as a vector for therapeutic change or framework for risk minimization-has far-reaching consequences in terms of how these treatments should be regulated, deliv...
