Psychedelics as an intervention for psychological, existential distress in terminally ill patients: A systematic review and network meta-analysis
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.