Longitudinal associations between psychedelic use and unusual visual experiences in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Whereas findings from case reports and cross-sectional studies suggest that naturalistic psychedelic use may be associated with unusual visual experiences that occur after the acute pharmacological effects have subsided, such findings need to be replicated in longitudinal studies to better understand potential cause-and-effect relationships. To investigate l...

Theorizing that Psychedelic Assisted Therapy May Play a Role in the Treatment of Trauma-Induced Personality Disorders.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) share overlapping neurobiological mechanisms particularly reward deficiency and stress-like anti-reward processes. And so, BPD may be reclassified as a "traumatic personality stress disorder" (TPSD) with ensuing common therapeutic strategies that may stabilize dopaminergic reward...

Keeping the promise: a critique of the current state of microdosing research.

The practice of taking small, sub-hallucinogenic doses of psychedelics, known as microdosing, has exploded in popularity over the last decade. Users claim benefits ranging from improved mood and enhanced creativity to an increased sense of meaning and connectedness in life. While research on microdosing is still lagging behind the shift in public opinion, se...

Psychedelic substitution: altered substance use patterns following psychedelic use in a global survey.

Recent research suggests that psychedelics may have potential for the treatment of various substance use disorders. However, most studies to date have been limited by small sample sizes and neglecting to include non-North American and European populations. We conducted a global, cross-sectional online survey of adults (n = 5,268, 47.2% women) self-reporting ...

Commentary: Evidence-Informed Recommendation to Achieve Approximate Parity in the Allowed Number of Doses for Common Psychedelics.

In recent years, policymakers have proposed and implemented regulatory changes promoting the deprioritization, decriminalization, or state-level legalization of one or more psychedelic substances, usually referencing data from clinical trials as reasons to support liberalizing drug control policies. As psychedelic policies continue to be drafted, personal po...

Attitudes of European psychiatrists on psychedelics: a qualitative study.

It is important to understand how mental health practitioners view recent findings on psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) as there is potential this treatment may be incorporated into clinical practice. The aim of our study was to explore how psychiatrists who are not involved in psychedelic research and who are located in the European region perceive p...

Revisiting psychiatry's relationship with spirituality.

[The nursing role in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy].

In this article, we aim to highlight the specific role of nurses in the interdisciplinary model of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. We argue that the plural competencies of our profession are at the heart of future issues in psychiatry and the use of psychedelics.

Drugs for depressionr.

Preclinical models of treatment-resistant depression: challenges and perspectives.

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is a subgroup of major depressive disorder in which the use of classical antidepressant treatments fails to achieve satisfactory treatment results. Although there are various definitions and grading models for TRD, common criteria for assessing TRD have still not been established. However, a common feature of any TRD mode...

Mindfulness meditation and psychedelics: potential synergies and commonalities.

There has been increasing scientific and clinical interest in studying psychedelic and meditation-based interventions in recent years, both in the context of improving mental health and as tools for understanding the mind. Several authors suggest neurophysiological and phenomenological parallels and overlaps between psychedelic and meditative states and sugg...

A "Magic Mushroom" Multi-Product Sesquiterpene Synthase.

Psilocybe "magic mushrooms" are chemically well understood for their psychotropic tryptamines. However, the diversity of their other specialized metabolites, in particular terpenoids, has largely remained an open question. Yet, knowledge on the natural product background is critical to understand if other compounds modulate the psychotropic pharmacological e...

A Comprehensive Review of the Current Status of the Cellular Neurobiology of Psychedelics.

Psychedelic substances have gained significant attention in recent years for their potential therapeutic effects on various psychiatric disorders. This review delves into the intricate cellular neurobiology of psychedelics, emphasizing their potential therapeutic applications in addressing the global burden of mental illness. It focuses on contemporary resea...

Exploring the Potential Utility of Psychedelic Therapy for Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an aggressive, terminal neurodegenerative disease that causes death of motor neurons and has an average survival time of 3-4 years. ALS is the most common motor neuron degenerative disease and is increasing in prevalence. There is a pressing need for more effective ALS treatments as available pharmacotherapies do not re...

Bayesian analysis of real-world data as evidence for drug approval: Remembering Sir Michael Rawlins.

Applying Key Lessons from the Hospice and Palliative Care Movement to Inform Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy.

Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) has re-emerged as a promising intervention for addressing mental health conditions and existential concerns. Despite growing enthusiasm, PAT may be difficult to integrate into mainstream health systems. The rich sacramental traditions of psychedelics, their centering of the human experience, proposed substrates of action, c...

Psychedelic Use Among Psychiatric Medication Prescribers: Effects on Well-Being, Depression, Anxiety, and Associations with Patterns of Use, Reported Harms, and Transformative Mental States.

Mental health problems including depression, anxiety, suicide, and burnout are common among health care providers. Resilience and well-being are factors thought to protect against these incidents. Clinical trials and naturalistic studies of psychedelic compounds have shown decreases in depression, anxiety, and suicidality while suggesting improvements in wel...

A Brief Review on the Potential of Psychedelics for Treating Alzheimer's Disease and Related Depression.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of senile dementia, is poised to place an even greater societal and healthcare burden as the population ages. With few treatment options for the symptomatic relief of the disease and its unknown etiopathology, more research into AD is urgently needed. Psychedelic drugs target AD-related psychological pathology a...

Examining the Rationale for Studying Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy for the Treatment of Caregiver Distress.

More than 50 million people in the United States serve as uncompensated informal caregivers to chronically ill friends or family members. Providing care to a sick loved one can contribute to personal growth but can also cause significant strain. Caregiver distress refers to a constellation of physiological, psychological, interpersonal, and spiritual impairm...

Unblinding and demand characteristics in the treatment of depression.

Blinding of treatment allocation in clinical trials in psychiatry is regarded as an ideal. The potential impact of unblinding chimes with a general concern for psychological research: so-called demand characteristics can undermine confidence in findings from experimental and clinical studies. Scepticism can result in nihilism. The reliance on subjective repo...