BJPsych Open
December 23, 2021
Zach Walsh, Özden Merve Mollaahmetoğlu, Joseph M. Rootman et al.
180 citations
A systematic review of 83 studies found that subanesthetic doses of ketamine produce rapid, short-lived antidepressant and anti-suicidal effects. Evidence for other psychiatric conditions is less robust but suggests similarly positive but transient benefits. The conclusions are tentative due to high risk of bias across the included studies. Optimal dosing, administration methods, and best forms of adjunctive psychotherapy require further investigation.
Scientific Reports
November 18, 2021
Joseph M. Rootman, Pamela Kryskow, Kalin Harvey et al.
78 citations
Among self-selected users of a mobile app, people who microdose psychedelics (mostly psilocybin, 85%) were similar demographically to non-microdosers but more often reported a history of mental health concerns. Within that group, microdosers had lower levels of depression, anxiety, and stress across genders. Health and wellness motives were the most common reasons for microdosing, especially among women and those with mental health concerns. The findings highlight a need for rigorous longitudinal research on microdosing's mental health effects.
Scientific Reports
June 30, 2022
Joseph M. Rootman, Maggie Kiraga, Pamela Kryskow et al.
53 citations
A naturalistic observational study followed 953 people who microdosed psilocybin (taking small, non-hallucinogenic doses of psychedelic mushrooms) and 180 non-microdosers for about 30 days. Small to medium improvements in mood and mental health were observed among microdosers, consistent across gender, age, and pre-existing mental health concerns. Older adults showed specific improvements in psychomotor performance. Combining psilocybin with lion's mane mushrooms and niacin did not affect mood or mental health changes, but among older microdosers, this combination was linked to greater psychomotor improvements than psilocybin alone or with lion's mane. These findings add controlled evidence to the growing research on psychedelic microdosing.