Background: Bipolar II disorder (BD-II) is often associated with chronic and treatment resistant major depressive episodes. Psilocybin has shown promise for its rapid-acting antidepressant effects, though its impact on bipolar depression remains unexplored. In the present subgroup analysis of an already published trial on treatment-resistant depression (TRD)...
OBJECTIVES: Understanding variations in knowledge and attitudes of psychiatrists to psilocybin therapy is important for the collective discourse about the potential impact on clinical practice and public health in Ireland. METHODS: A28-item questionnaire was designed based on previous studies and distributed to psychiatrists in Ireland via online mailing lis...
"Iracema comes with the pot full of the green liquor. The shaman decrees the dreams to each warrior and distributes the wine of jurema, which carries the brave Tabajara to heaven." José de Alencar, in his poetic novel “Iracema” (1865)1. IntroductionThe "wine of jurema", used in ancient Brazilian shamanic rituals, is rich in N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a na...
Current drug policy classifies psilocybin, a compound found in psychoactive mushrooms, as having high abuse potential while overlooking its therapeutic properties. We evaluated the risk of psilocybin mushrooms to Brazilian public health compared to other toxic agents and assessed the need for regulatory discussions. This retrospective cross-sectional study f...
Various families of mushrooms contain important phytochemicals with significant potential. This study aimed to investigate the phytochemical prospecting, presence of psilocybin, antioxidant activities, and acetylcholinesterase inhibition in aqueous extracts of Cyathus striatus, Laternea dringii, and Marasmius haematocephalus. Aqueous extracts were produced f...
Psychedelics (e.g., 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine [MDMA], lysergic acid diethylamide [LSD], psilocybin) are molecules that have the potential to produce rapid therapeutic effects when paired with psychotherapy. Randomized clinical trials of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAT) have shown promising results for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), de...
Chronic neuropathic pain is a significant public health issue affecting an estimated 1.5 billion individuals worldwide. The mechanisms underlying chronic pain are multifaceted and not fully understood. Chronic pain amplifies specific neural pathways through peripheral and central sensitization triggered by repeated exposure to noxious stimuli, ultimately res...
Background: Psilocybin therapy (PT) produces rapid and persistent antidepressant effects in major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the long-term effects of PT have never been compared with gold-standard treatments for MDD such as pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy alone or in combination. Methods: This is a 6-month follow-up study of a phase 2, double-blind...
Title: Use of psilocybin in the treatment of mental disorders: systematic review of clinical trials. Objective: To evaluate the high-impact evidence on the neurobiology, efficacy, safety, and feasibility of using psilocybin in the treatment of mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (P...
Introduction:Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) has gained traction in palliative care as a treatment for existential distress in the last decade. Patients with brain cancer have been excluded from studies, yet they stand to benefit as much as other patients with cancer-related psychological distress. Case description:In this report, we discuss the case of a ...
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...
Rationale: N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated dissociatives and serotonergic hallucinogens are being increasingly used in therapeutic interventions that involve nonordinary states of consciousness and may represent a unique mental health paradigm wherein pharmacologically induced experiences are conducive to psychological well-being. Objective: The aim o...
ObjectiveThis article provides an intercultural transdisciplinary perspective on the Indigenous roots of the resurging field of psychedelic science in the management of substance use disorders (SUDs). Ritual uses of entheogens (i.e., psychedelics of natural origin) are elaborate technologies for navigating, containing, and therapeutically directing non-ordin...
Key Clinical Message: This case study describes the feasibility and safety of psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) as a home-based intervention for a patient with throat cancer experiencing significant existential distress. The patient tolerated the intervention well. This case supports the feasibility and safety of PAT for patients with life-threatening condi...
Existential distress is commonly experienced by patients diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. This condition has been shown to adversely impact quality of life and is correlated with increased suicidal ideation and requests for hastened death. While palliative care teams are experienced in treating depression and anxiety, existential distress is a dist...
This work utilized fMRI to assess the influence of the psychedelics, Psilocybin, a serotonergic agonist, and Salvinorin-A, a kappa-opioid receptor (KOR) agonist, on functional connectivity (FC) in non-human primates. We used a seed-based FC analysis, probing regions of interest associated with psychedelic hallucinogens. Our findings highlight the overlapping...
The goal of this study is to assess the effectiveness of psilocybin for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder and potential therapeutic mechanisms. Enrolled participants will receive a single active dose of psilocybin, or a dose considered high enough to treat depression, administered orally with accompanying psychological support.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating mental health condition that can occur after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. The impact of PTSD extends beyond the individual, affecting families, communities, and society as a whole. This study aims to investigate the potential of psilocybin as a treatment for PTSD. Psilocybin, after bein...
Many medicines and treatments for varying levels of ailments were found through natural bioactives before complex separation techniques were available.Ironically, as medicine advances, drastically more people seem to be reverting to a desire for these natural bioactives.Due to this, it is important to discover and research the pharmacology of historically us...
