Irish Journal of Medical Science (1971 -)
June 15, 2021
Kate Corrigan, Maeve Haran, Conor Mccandliss et al.
79 citations
A survey of 99 mental health service users (52% female, average age 42) found that 72% supported further research into psilocybin therapy and 59% supported psilocybin as a medical treatment. 27% had previously used recreational psilocybin, more often men. Younger people, those with prior psychedelic experience, and those with non-religious beliefs held more favorable attitudes. 55% would accept psilocybin therapy if a doctor recommended it, while 20% would not. People with depression or anxiety were less likely to have used recreational psychedelics but more likely to support government-funded studies. Only 5% of those with conditions like psychosis or bipolar disorder thought psilocybin would be useful for them.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
December 17, 2021
John R. Kelly, Claire M. Gillan, Jack Prenderville et al.
66 citations
Psychedelic therapy, combining psychedelic drugs with psychological support, shows promise for treating disorders marked by rigid and unhealthy patterns of emotion, thought, and behavior, including depression, treatment-resistant depression, addiction, and potentially anxiety, OCD, PTSD, and eating disorders. This review examines preclinical and clinical evidence through the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework, mapping the drugs' effects across molecular, cellular, and network levels to RDoC constructs like negative and positive valence, arousal, social processing, cognition, and sensorimotor systems. The goal is to clarify the specific clinical dimensions psychedelics affect and their underlying neurobiology, aiming toward a mechanistic understanding and personalized psychedelic therapy.
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine
September 23, 2019
John R. Kelly, Annie Baker, Mona Babiker et al.
22 citations
A growing body of preliminary clinical research indicates that psilocybin, a compound found in hallucinogenic fungi, combined with psychological support can improve mood, reduce anxiety, and enhance quality of life. An open-label study showed marked reductions in depression symptoms among participants with treatment-resistant depression. The underlying neurobiological changes include altered brain connectivity and activity in the amygdala and default mode network, as well as increased synaptogenesis and neural plasticity. A randomized, double-blind trial has recently launched across Europe and North America, including a center in Ireland, to further test psilocybin's efficacy for treatment-resistant depression.
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine
August 19, 2020
John R. Kelly, Matthew Crockett, Laith Alexander et al.
16 citations
The medium- to long-term mental health consequences of COVID-19 are predicted to increase, requiring multidisciplinary strategies. Psilocybin therapy shows promise as a transdiagnostic treatment for disorders with maladaptive habitual patterns, such as depression, addiction, and obsessive compulsive disorder. The COMPASS Pathways phase 2b double-blind trial is testing psilocybin therapy in antidepressant-free treatment-resistant depression (TRD) to determine safety, efficacy, and optimal dose. Results from the Imperial College London Psilodep-RCT comparing psilocybin therapy to the SSRI escitalopram will soon be published. The efficacy and safety of psilocybin therapy with SSRIs in TRD is not yet known; a COMPASS study in Dublin will address this. Psilocybin therapy may play an important role in post-COVID-19 psychiatry, though it is at an early clinical stage.
JAMA Psychiatry
March 25, 2026
Wiesław Jerzy Cubała, Malek Bajbouj, Michael Bauer et al.
3 citations
A single day of treatment with an inhaled synthetic formulation of mebufotenin (GH001) significantly reduced depression symptoms in adults with treatment-resistant depression compared to placebo. In a randomized, double-blind trial of 81 patients, those receiving up to three escalating doses of GH001 showed an average 15.5-point greater improvement on the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale by day 8 than those on placebo. Remission rates were 57.5% for GH001 and 0% for placebo. No severe or serious adverse events occurred. The findings suggest GH001 may be a rapid-acting, well-tolerated treatment option for treatment-resistant depression.
Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology
March 1, 2026
Guillaume Thuery, Frank Crossen, Daniel Mc Loone et al.
1 citation
About 15% of pregnant women experience postpartum depression, and many remain impaired despite available antidepressants. Serotonergic psychedelics may offer a viable therapeutic approach for postpartum depression, though the benefit-risk ratio is unclear. This review summarizes immune, endocrine, and neural pathways underlying postpartum depression and explores how psychedelics interact with these pathways in relation to maternal motivation, bonding, and caregiving. Special considerations for psychedelic therapy in the postpartum period are outlined. Further research, especially longitudinal trials with adaptations for the postpartum context, is needed to determine efficacy and safety.
Psychedelic Medicine
December 19, 2025
Amanda Husein, Madalynn Traylor, M. Frances Vest et al.
Most Louisiana psychiatrists surveyed are open to psilocybin's medical use if backed by regulation. 82% reported some knowledge of psilocybin; 86% believed it should be researched for medicinal value; 71% would prescribe it if proven beneficial for a patient's illness. 57% thought it should be a first-line treatment for certain conditions, while 73% believed it should be used only after other treatments failed. The 10.5% response rate limits generalizability. The findings suggest a need for educational programs on psychedelics to inform clinical decisions.
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine
December 18, 2025
Gurjot Brar, T. R. Jun. Burke, Andrew Gribben et al.
Online news coverage of psilocybin as a depression treatment increased sharply after 2022, with 43.2% of articles published between 2022 and 2024, mostly from US outlets. Although 90.4% of articles cited researchers, only 47.2% addressed risks, 46.4% discussed long-term evidence, and 25% included patient perspectives. Sentiment was very positive, averaging 2.27 on a −5 to +5 scale, and did not change significantly over time. Reporting on psilocybin's onset and duration of effects improved, but coverage remains concentrated in prominent outlets and lacks balance on risks and patient experiences.