Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics
September 21, 2020
Hartej Gill, Barjot Gill, David Chen‐li et al.
62 citations
Psychedelics like psilocybin and MDMA show promise as a new type of therapy for mental health disorders. Evidence suggests they may work with just one dose, produce rapid effects, and be effective for treatment-resistant conditions, possibly serving as a standalone treatment. More clinical trials are needed to test their safety, tolerability, and effectiveness in real-world patient populations.
Annals of Clinical Psychiatry
November 1, 2022
David Chen‐li, Leanna M.W. Lui, Joshua D. Rosenblat et al.
22 citations
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a severe mood disorder affecting mothers and children, and there is a need for rapid-acting treatments. This narrative review examined the available literature on ketamine for PPD, searching databases for preclinical studies, clinical trials, and reviews. Four clinical trials were identified. The review suggests that ketamine may be a favorable option due to its antidepressant and analgesic effects, short infusion time, and rapid clearance from the mother's bloodstream. However, evidence is insufficient to support its routine use, highlighting the need for more clinical research.
Journal of Psychopharmacology
October 3, 2024
Charles Q. Choi, Danica E. Johnson, David Chen‐li et al.
11 citations
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop after a traumatic event, causing intrusive re-experiencing, mood and cognitive changes, and altered arousal. Few treatments help patients who cannot access or do not benefit from conventional psychotherapy or pharmacotherapy. This review examines the neurobiology of PTSD and psilocybin's mechanism of action, suggesting that psilocybin may be an underexplored treatment option based on pharmacodynamic and psychoanalytic principles, though further research is needed.
Psychiatry Research
May 8, 2025
Noah Chisamore, Lee Phan, Roger S McIntyre et al.
7 citations
A review of pre-clinical and clinical studies on non-hallucinatory psychedelics (NHPs) for mood and anxiety disorders found five animal studies showing antidepressant-like effects, assessed via forced swim test and open field test, without the head-twitch response that indicates hallucination. One case report described a patient who inadvertently combined trazodone and psilocybin and experienced potent antidepressant effects without psychedelic effects. These preliminary findings suggest that antidepressant benefits of psychedelics may be separable from hallucinatory effects, providing impetus for rigorous clinical trials in humans.