Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for depression: Emerging research on a psychedelic compound with a rich history.
Craig S Pearson, J. Siegel, J. Gold
Journal of Neurological Sciences December 1, 2021 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1016/j.jns.2021.120096 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
Psilocybin, when combined with supportive psychotherapy, shows rapid and sustained antidepressant effects in individuals with depression, including major depressive disorder and treatment-resistant depression. This review covers the history, pharmacology, and proposed mechanism of psilocybin, and describes published studies from the last decade supporting its efficacy and safety. Limitations and barriers in current psychedelic research are discussed, and results are placed within the context of existing depression treatments and clinical needs.
Study at a glance
| Design | review |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy exerts rapid and sustained antidepressant effects in individuals with depression, including treatment-resistant depression. |
Abstract
There is a serious need for novel therapies that treat individuals with depression, including major depressive disorder (MDD) and treatment-resistant depression (TRD). An emerging body of research has demonstrated that psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin, combined with supportive psychotherapy, exert rapid and sustained antidepressant effects. The use of psychedelics is not new: they have a rich history with evidence of their use in ritual and medical settings. However, due to political, social, and cultural pressures, their use was limited until modern clinical trials began to emerge in the 2010s. This review provides a comprehensive look at the potential use of psilocybin in the treatment of depression and TRD. It includes an overview of the history, pharmacology, and proposed mechanism of psilocybin, and describes several published studies in the last decade which have provided evidence of the efficacy and safety of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for individuals with depression. It also includes a discussion of the limitations and barriers of current research on psychedelics. The results of these studies are contextualized within the current treatment landscape through an overview of the pathophysiology of depression and the treatments currently in use, as well as the clinical needs these novel therapies have the promise to fulfill.