Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects about 2% of the population and involves troubling obsessions and compulsions that disrupt daily life. Its causes are not fully understood, but dysfunctions in serotonin, dopamine, and glutamate neurotransmission, along with early maladaptive schemas, appear important. Current treatments include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), yet up to 40% of patients do not respond. Psilocybin, a non-physically addictive psychoactive substance, may help manage symptoms when used in appropriate doses under strict clinical control. This narrative article reviews OCD's etiology, current treatments, and emerging evidence for psilocybin's efficacy.
Psilocybin, a serotonergic hallucinogen, shows therapeutic promise for treatment-resistant depression, but its multi-organ safety profile remains unclear. This narrative review of preclinical studies, clinical data, and case reports found limited and heterogeneous evidence, with rare adverse events often confounded by polysubstance use and uncertain dosing. Biologically plausible mechanisms via serotonergic receptor activation warrant further investigation, yet controlled clinical data do not consistently indicate intrinsic multi-organ toxicity. The review highlights critical gaps in understanding psilocybin's organ-specific safety and calls for systematic evaluation.