Psychedelic science in post-COVID-19 psychiatry

Summary

Psilocybin, a potent hallucinogen, holds significant promise for mental health, particularly for major depressive disorder in post-Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) psychiatry. Ongoing Psychedelics and Drug Studies are exploring this potential. A phase 2b trial is currently assessing its safety and efficacy for treatment-resistant depression. Another study compares psilocybin therapy to traditional medicine, like SSRIs, delving into its Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior. While early in development, this chemical synthesis alkaloid could empower psychotherapists with new tools in psychology, offering a vital therapeutic role in medicine.

Abstract

The medium- to long-term consequences of COVID-19 are not yet known, though an increase in mental health problems are predicted. Multidisciplinary strategies across socio-economic and psychological levels may be needed to mitigate the mental health burden of COVID-19. Preliminary evidence from the rapidly progressing field of psychedelic science shows that psilocybin therapy offers a promising transdiagnostic treatment strategy for a range of disorders with restricted and maladaptive habitual patterns of cognition and behaviour, notably depression, addiction and obsessive compulsive disorder. The COMPASS Pathways (COMPASS) phase 2b double-blind trial of psilocybin therapy in antidepressant-free, treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is underway to determine the safety, efficacy and optimal dose of psilocybin. Results from the Imperial College London Psilodep-RCT comparing the efficacy and mechanisms of action of psilocybin therapy to the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) escitalopram will soon be published. However, the efficacy and safety of psilocybin therapy in conjunction with SSRIs in TRD is not yet known. An additional COMPASS study, with a centre in Dublin, will begin to address this question, with potential implications for the future delivery of psilocybin therapy. While at a relatively early stage of clinical development, and notwithstanding the immense challenges of COVID-19, psilocybin therapy has the potential to play an important therapeutic role for various psychiatric disorders in post-COVID-19 clinical psychiatry.

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