Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry
March 21, 2021
Daniel Perkins, Jerome Sarris, Susan L. Rossell et al.
53 citations
Psychedelic substances such as psilocybin, ayahuasca, LSD, and MDMA are gaining renewed medical interest due to the need for new psychiatric treatments and promising study results. This viewpoint reflects on the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists' Clinical Memorandum on Psychedelics and notes regulatory developments, including applications for down-scheduling and access approvals. The authors argue that rigorous research is needed to assess benefits, safety, and therapeutic mechanisms. They summarize recent findings on mechanisms of action and the psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy model, suggesting medicinal psychedelics could become a new class of psychiatric treatments when used under medical supervision with psychotherapeutic support. However, sufficiently powered trials and safety protocols are required before clinical use, and untrained practitioner access could be harmful.
Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry
November 22, 2019
Sally Meikle, Paul Liknaitzky, Susan L. Rossell et al.
19 citations
Psilocybin, a psychedelic drug, is gaining attention as a potential treatment for depression due to its mechanism of action, benefits in early trials, and relatively low side effect burden. This viewpoint outlines key unresolved issues for its clinical use: identifying which patients are most likely to benefit or experience adverse effects, understanding longer-term outcomes, and clarifying the role of psychotherapeutic support alongside the drug. There are also opportunities to better understand the neurobiology underlying its effects.
Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry
May 3, 2023
Susan L. Rossell, Sally Meikle, M.l. Williams et al.
14 citations
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Behavioural and cognitive psychotherapy
January 1, 2024
Lindsay Smith, Susan L. Rossell, Neil Thomas et al.
4 citations
Auditory verbal hallucinations (voice-hearing) cause similar levels of distress in people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, but those with bipolar disorder are more likely to attribute the voices to internal causes. In bipolar disorder, distress is linked to beliefs that the voices are malevolent, omnipotent, and to be resisted, yet only resistance, along with manic and depressive symptoms, independently predicts distress. The findings suggest that reducing resistance to voices and addressing mood symptoms could be therapeutic targets for voice-hearing in bipolar disorder.
BJPsych Open
December 15, 2025
Nicole Ledwos, Jenna Baer, Muhammad Ishrat Husain et al.
2 citations
Up to 60% of people with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) do not respond to standard treatments such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antipsychotic augmentation, or cognitive–behavioural therapy. This open-label pilot trial will test whether a single 25 mg dose of psilocybin combined with psychological support is feasible, tolerable, and safe for ten adults with treatment-resistant OCD. Clinical improvement will be measured with the Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale. Exploratory brain imaging, electroencephalogram, and transcranial magnetic stimulation-electroencephalogram measures will examine changes in dynamic connectivity and brain dynamics before, during, and up to one week after dosing. Results will inform the design of larger randomized trials and help clarify neurobiological mechanisms of psilocybin-assisted therapy.
Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology
September 1, 2025
Sally Meikle, Olivia Carter, Paul Liknaitzky et al.
2 citations
In an open-label pilot trial, two 25 mg doses of psilocybin combined with psychotherapy produced a clinically meaningful reduction in depressive symptoms at 3 weeks in people with treatment-resistant depression. The average improvement was sustained at 20 weeks, but individual responses varied: two participants showed lasting benefit, three relapsed, and two did not improve. Mindset before dosing, spiritual experiences, and perceptual changes during the session predicted treatment trajectory, whereas treatment expectations did not. No serious adverse events occurred. The findings support further research into tailoring psilocybin therapy to individual variability.
BMJ Open
April 1, 2025
Vanessa L. Beesley, Tom Kennedy, Fiona Maccallum et al.
2 citations
Prolonged grief disorder (PGD) affects up to 30% of bereaved carers in oncology settings, and current treatments fail up to half of participants. The PARTING trial is the first to test psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for cancer-related PGD. In this open-label pilot, about 15 participants receive a 25 mg dose of psilocybin with supportive guidance, plus preparation and integration sessions delivered by a psychologist and a nurse or Indigenous Therapist. Feasibility, safety, and acceptability are assessed through recruitment rates, adverse events, physiological measures, and qualitative interviews. Quantitative measures include grief severity, depression, anxiety, and quality of life over a 12-month follow-up.
Research Square (Research Square)
July 27, 2023
Claire Finkelstein, Olivia Soha, Alana Roy et al.
2 citations
Body Image Disturbance (BID) often persists after physical recovery from anorexia nervosa (AN) because treatments focus on thoughts and behaviors rather than perception and emotion. Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) may address these overlooked symptoms. A panel of six women with lived or living experience of AN and BID reviewed a proposed PAP protocol and provided feedback. Reflexive thematic analysis revealed three themes: enduring uncertainty, managing internal experience, and ambivalence in recovery. The panel also suggested strategies such as graduated interventions, including nominated supports, and comprehensive psychoeducation. Their input directly adapted the treatment manual, resulting in a co-designed PAP manual for BID in AN.
October 7, 2024
J Pincombe, M.l. Williams, Sean Carruthers et al.
1 citation
preprint
A growing body of research suggests psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy may be an effective intervention for several mental health disorders. Researchers are increasingly using qualitative methods to capture rich contextual information. This scoping review will follow JBI guidelines to identify and analyze existing qualitative studies on psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for mental health disorders, excluding microdosing studies. The review will search PubMed, Scopus, PsycNET, and reference lists; two reviewers will screen papers. Findings will be presented narratively, analyzing trends in research questions and methods, and identifying opportunities for future qualitative research. Ethics approval is not required; results will be submitted for peer-reviewed publication.
Journal of Affective Disorders
January 20, 2026
Laura Mills, Susan L. Rossell, Sean Carruthers
Psilocybin use among people with bipolar disorder is associated with both benefits and risks. Analysis of 354 Reddit posts and comments revealed four themes: mania, depression, mixed experiences, and broader perspectives. Some users reported reduced depression symptoms and shifts in perspective, but others described increased or new mania, psychosis, and worsened depression. The findings suggest that while psilocybin may help some individuals with bipolar disorder, it also carries potential for adverse mental health effects.
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
August 1, 2025
N Acevdo, David Castle, Susan L. Rossell
Obsessive compulsive disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, and anorexia nervosa share overlapping cognitive-behavioral and neurobiological features, yet conventional treatments often yield suboptimal outcomes. Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy shows transdiagnostic potential by improving insight, emotional regulation, and well-being. This paper presents a protocol for an open-label basket trial testing psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy across these three conditions. The protocol was developed from scoping reviews, an international Delphi study on best practices, and qualitative interviews with patients. It uses a transdiagnostic, non-directive approach, includes a psychoeducation booklet and video, a treatment manual for clinicians, clinician- and patient-reported outcomes, opt-in additional support, and long-term follow-up.
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
August 1, 2025
Susan Meikle, Olivia Carter, Paul Liknaitzky et al.
A small pilot trial of psilocybin with psychotherapy for treatment-resistant depression found a clinically meaningful reduction in depressive symptoms three weeks after the second dose, with an average improvement of 7.14 points on the depression scale and a large effect size. However, individual responses varied widely: two participants showed lasting improvement, three relapsed, and two saw no substantial benefit. Mindset before dosing and spiritual or perceptual experiences during the session predicted treatment trajectory, but prior expectations did not. The study supports further research into tailoring psychedelic therapy to individual differences.