Molecular psychiatry
March 1, 2025
Michel Sabé, Adi Sulstarova, Alban Glangetas et al.
39 citations
A systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the risk of psychedelic-induced psychosis in people with schizophrenia. Among population studies, the incidence was 0.002%; in uncontrolled trials, 0.2%; and in randomized controlled trials, 0.6%. In uncontrolled trials that included individuals with schizophrenia, 3.8% developed long-lasting psychotic symptoms. Of those who experienced psychedelic-induced psychosis, 13.1% later developed schizophrenia. The evidence suggests schizophrenia might not be an absolute exclusion for clinical trials on psychedelics for treatment-resistant depression and negative symptoms, but low study quality and limited data warrant a conservative approach until more research is done.
Psychiatry research
December 1, 2023
Kerem Böge, David J Hallford, Matthias Pillny
9 citations
People with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) report lower mindfulness and psychological flexibility than healthy controls. Among 43 SSD patients and 43 controls, higher mindfulness was linked to greater psychological flexibility, anticipatory pleasure, and behavioral activation, and to fewer depressive and negative symptoms. Psychological flexibility was associated with lower depressive and negative symptoms and more anticipatory pleasure and behavioral activation. The findings suggest that interventions targeting mindfulness and psychological flexibility may help reduce amotivational symptoms in SSD.
Schizophrenia research
July 1, 2025
Antonia Meinhart, Annika Schmueser, Steffen Moritz et al.
4 citations
A systematic meta-review of 18 meta-analyses (up to 2572 participants) examined mindfulness- and acceptance-based interventions for people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. At the end of treatment, significant small-to-large effects were found for overall symptoms, positive symptoms, negative symptoms, affective symptoms, social functioning, mindfulness, and acceptance. For example, 100% of mindfulness-based intervention meta-analyses reported significant improvement in overall symptoms (effect size g = -0.7), while 25% of acceptance-based intervention meta-analyses did. All meta-analyses were rated low or critically low in quality. The largest effects came from studies with mostly Chinese samples. The authors conclude that these interventions show promise but caution that methodological limitations and cultural factors need further study.
Asian journal of psychiatry
June 26, 2025
Adi Sulstarova, Luise Scheuerlein, Silvia Monari et al.
4 citations
Psychedelic-induced psychosis is rare, occurring in less than 1% of users in controlled trials, but evidence on its treatment is limited. A systematic review of 93 cases from 1955 to 2024 found that LSD (47.3%) and MDMA (38.7%) were the most common substances involved, with an average patient age of 23.7 years and 88% male. Psychosis lasted about 1.8 weeks on average. Second-generation antipsychotics had a response rate of 91.3%, significantly higher than first-generation antipsychotics at 27%. Electroconvulsive therapy also showed a 91% response rate. Follow-up revealed 34% of patients later developed schizophrenia spectrum disorders and 20.4% bipolar disorder, though limited follow-up data constrain these findings.
Scientific reports
June 4, 2025
Inge Hahne, Julia Segerer, Marco Zierhut et al.
3 citations
Mindfulness is linked to fewer positive and depressive symptoms in people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and psychological flexibility appears to partly explain how mindfulness relates to negative and depressive symptoms. In a cross-sectional study of 94 adults with these disorders, higher mindfulness scores correlated with lower positive and depressive symptom severity and with greater psychological flexibility. Statistical mediation analyses showed that psychological flexibility significantly mediated the relationship between mindfulness and both negative and depressive symptoms. The findings suggest psychological flexibility may be a mechanism through which mindfulness-based interventions reduce certain symptoms, though longitudinal research is needed to confirm this.
Schizophrenia bulletin
November 16, 2024
Inge Hahne, Marco Zierhut, Niklas Bergmann et al.
3 citations
A yoga-based group intervention (YoGI) added to treatment-as-usual is feasible and acceptable for inpatients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD). In a randomized controlled trial with 50 inpatients, YoGI plus treatment-as-usual showed 95% protocol adherence, 91-94% retention, and a 6% dropout rate. Compared to treatment-as-usual alone, the yoga group had significant improvements in positive symptoms, depression, cognitive fusion, and a mindfulness subscale. Medium-to-large improvements were also seen in body mindfulness, negative and general symptoms, anxiety, stress, quality of life, and attention. No severe adverse events occurred. The findings suggest YoGI may provide benefits beyond standard care, but further robust trials are needed.
Molecular psychiatry
May 29, 2026
Mickael Eskinazi, Rayan Nasserdine, Romane M Cusin et al.
A systematic review of 23 studies examined whether serotonergic psychedelics (psilocybin, LSD, mescaline, DMT/ayahuasca) or MDMA can trigger manic or hypomanic symptoms. Rates of such symptoms ranged from 5.8% in controlled trials of psilocybin-assisted therapy for depression to 30% in naturalistic studies of people with bipolar disorder. When manic symptoms occurred, they were typically acute and self-limited. Higher risks were seen in individuals with bipolar I disorder, family vulnerability, polysubstance use, or unsupervised use. Registry data showed a 4% prevalence of later transition to bipolar disorder, with little evidence for a hallucinogen-specific signal. The authors conclude that these substances pose a low but clinically meaningful relative risk of transient mood symptoms in susceptible individuals while remaining relatively safe in controlled settings.