Psychedelics in the treatment of unipolar mood disorders: a systematic review
Journal of Psychopharmacology – November 18, 2016
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
A compelling review of 19 studies involving 423 individuals found that 79.2% experienced clinician-judged improvement in mood disorders after treatment with psychedelics. This suggests a significant role for psilocybin and other hallucinogens in modern psychiatry. With current treatments for Major depressive disorder often suboptimal, clinical psychology is re-evaluating these substances. These drug studies, exploring neurotransmitter receptor influence on behavior, offer new hope for unipolar mood disorders, potentially leveraging chemical synthesis and alkaloids for therapeutic benefit.
Abstract
Unipolar mood disorders, including major depressive disorder and persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia), confer high rates of disability and mortality and a very high socioeconomic burden. Current treatment is suboptimal in most cases and there is little of note in the pharmaceutical development pipeline. The psychedelic drugs, including lysergic acid diethylamide and psilocybin, were used extensively in the treatment of mood disorders, and other psychiatric conditions, before their prohibition in the late 1960s. They are relatively safe when used in medically controlled environments, with no reported risk of dependence. Here, we present a systematic review of published clinical treatment studies using psychedelics in patients with broadly defined UMD, and consider their place in psychiatry. Whilst all of the included studies have methodological shortcomings, of 423 individuals in 19 studies, 335 (79.2%) showed clinician-judged improvement after treatment with psychedelics. A recently completed pilot study in the UK favours the use of psilocybin with psychological support in treatment resistant depressive disorder. The evidence overall strongly suggests that psychedelics should be re-examined in modern clinical trials for their use in unipolar mood disorders and other non-psychotic mental health conditions.