Scientific Reports
October 29, 2022
Marija Franka Žuljević, Ivan Buljan, Mia Leskur et al.
34 citations
A new 20-item questionnaire, the Attitudes on Psychedelics Questionnaire (APQ), was developed and tested in a Croatian general population sample of 1153 participants. The APQ has four sub-scales: Legal Use, Effects, Risk Assessment, and Openness to Psychedelics. It showed excellent reliability and strong correlations with a similar unvalidated measure, supporting its validity. Younger age, male gender, and lower educational status were associated with more positive attitudes. People who knew more about psychedelics also held more favorable attitudes. The APQ can be used to assess educational interventions, patient outcomes, and expert attitudes, but further validation in English is needed.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
December 10, 2024
Mattia Marchi, Riccardo Farina, Karim Rachedi et al.
13 citations
A systematic review and network meta-analysis of nine randomized controlled trials involving 606 participants with terminal illnesses found that psychedelic compounds—psilocybin, ketamine, MDMA, and LSD—significantly reduced depression (standardized mean difference −0.80) and anxiety (standardized mean difference −0.84) compared to control conditions. Psilocybin appeared most effective for depression, and LSD for anxiety, though direct comparisons between psychedelics did not show statistically significant differences. Rates of treatment discontinuation and adverse events were similar between psychedelic and control groups. The findings suggest psychedelics, particularly psilocybin and LSD, may help alleviate existential distress in end-of-life care, but limitations include few trials, blinding challenges, and a lack of head-to-head comparisons.
Frontiers in psychiatry
January 1, 2024
Marija Franka Žuljević, Nando Breški, Mariano Kaliterna et al.
6 citations
Psychiatrists in Europe who are not involved in psychedelic research see both promise and risk in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PAP). Based on interviews with 12 specialists and trainees from 8 countries, four themes emerged: psychedelics hold potential, they are dangerous, their future is uncertain, and psychiatry is ambivalent toward them. Respondents acknowledged PAP's potential but considered its evidence base not yet robust enough. They reported that education on psychedelics is lacking in medical and psychiatric training and should be improved to help mental health experts participate in decisions about PAP.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
November 3, 2023
Marija Franka Žuljević, Antonija Mijatović, Stjepan Ljudevit Marušić et al.
6 citations
Analysis of 7317 online psychedelic experience reports, mostly about psilocybin, shows that the use of mystical language increases with the self-reported intensity of the experience. At the same time, negative sentiment rises and positive sentiment falls as intensity increases. These results suggest that mystical experiences may coexist with challenging elements during a psychedelic session, a possibility that warrants further qualitative investigation. A new mystical language dictionary is provided for future research.
Journal of clinical epidemiology
January 23, 2026
Marija Franka Žuljević, Antonija Mijatović, Renata Orhanović et al.
4 citations
A cross-sectional analysis of 336 clinical trials on MDMA or psilocybin registered on ClinicalTrials.gov found that 17.6% made major changes to primary outcome measures and 28.6% changed eligibility criteria, most after recruitment began. Among completed trials, 72.0% did not post results on the registry, and most that did exceeded the one-year reporting window. Only 3 of 29 trials with both posted results and publications had fully concordant adverse event reporting; most showed qualitative and quantitative discrepancies. These inconsistencies undermine the credibility and safety evaluation of these trials, and the authors advise greater transparency and stricter adherence to reporting standards.
Current topics in behavioral neurosciences
January 1, 2026
Marija Franka Žuljević, Tomislav Majić
1 citation
Flashbacks, hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD), and reactivations are complications linked to classic psychedelic use, all involving perceptual disturbances similar to acute drug effects. HPPD is persistent, while flashbacks and reactivations are typically transient and cause less distress. HPPD has low relative prevalence but can be clinically significant; many patients mistakenly believe they have it, but only a minority meet diagnostic criteria. In very rare cases, HPPD becomes chronic and requires long-term treatment, but most cases resolve within a year or become tolerable. Evidence-based treatments are lacking, so current knowledge relies on case reports and clinical experience.