Addiction
July 24, 2025
Amandine Luquiens, Dahbia Belahda, Carine Graux et al.
22 citations
A pilot randomized controlled trial tested psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in 30 adults with severe alcohol use disorder and depression who had recently completed detoxification. Participants received either 25 mg or 1 mg of psilocybin in two sessions three weeks apart, alongside standard care. At 12 weeks, the 25 mg group had a significantly higher abstinence rate (55% vs 11%), greater reductions in drinking days and craving frequency, and a lower relapse rate (35% vs 50%), though the latter difference was not statistically significant. Blinding was imperfect, and one serious adverse event (myocardial infarction) occurred in the 25 mg group, deemed unrelated. The treatment appears feasible, acceptable, and safe in this population.
Journal of eating disorders
March 17, 2025
Paula J Escobedo-Aedo, Chris Serrand, Sarah Kabani et al.
4 citations
Eating disorders severely harm physical health and daily functioning, and few effective treatments exist, especially for anorexia nervosa. In a case series of eight female patients aged 16 to 44 with anorexia nervosa, intravenous ketamine was added to usual care to target rigid, food-focused thoughts. Some sessions included psychomotor or psychological support for body image, self-esteem, and re-exposure to feared foods. Ketamine adjuvant treatment significantly improved body mass index, with a coefficient of 0.71, and showed a tendency to improve weight regain after the fourth or fifth infusion. It also reduced anorexia-related psychopathology and obsessive-compulsive symptoms like rumination and cognitive rigidity. Ketamine's pro-plasticity and pro-neurogenesis effects may underlie these benefits, suggesting it as a potential option after first-line treatment failure.
Journal of Affective Disorders
January 19, 2026
Maria Garcia Garcia, Dahbia Belahda, Carine Graux et al.
In psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy, participants who responded to treatment described their experience as an inner dialogue and used adaptive coping strategies, while non-responders focused on sensory and affective details and relied on suppressive coping. The presence of inner dialogue may represent a unique therapeutic mechanism, underscoring the value of preparation and integration in such therapy.