Abigail Yaffe

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.

2 papers in the library · 89 citations · publishing 2023-2026

Papers

Naturalistic psilocybin use is associated with persisting improvements in mental health and wellbeing: results from a prospective, longitudinal survey

Frontiers in Psychiatry September 19, 2023 Hillary Jackson, Sara So, Abigail Yaffe et al. 87 citations

A large prospective survey of adults planning to take psilocybin outside clinical settings found that, on average, participants reported lasting reductions in anxiety, depression, and alcohol misuse, along with improvements in cognitive flexibility, emotion regulation, spiritual wellbeing, and extraversion, and decreases in neuroticism and burnout after use. However, a minority reported persisting negative effects: 11% at 2–4 weeks and 7% at 2–3 months after use, including mood fluctuations and depressive symptoms. The study included 2,833 respondents at baseline, 1,182 at 2–4 weeks, and 657 at 2–3 months post-use. Participants were primarily college-educated White men in the United States, mean age 40, who used dried psilocybin mushrooms (mean dose 3.1 grams) for self-exploration.

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1199642 Psilocybin Anxiety Hallucinogen Psychiatry +3

Pilot study of psilocybin in patients with post-treatment lyme disease

Scientific Reports February 25, 2026 Albert Garcia-Romeu, Gideon P. Naudé, Alison W. Rebman et al. 2 citations

An estimated 10–20% of Lyme disease patients develop post-treatment Lyme disease (PTLD), a chronic syndrome with no established treatments. In an open-label pilot study of 20 participants with PTLD, two sessions of psilocybin (15 mg then 15 or 25 mg) with psychological support led to significant improvements in symptom burden and quality of life from enrollment through one month after the second dose, with benefits sustained at six months. At six months, general PTLD symptom burden decreased 40% from baseline, and mental and physical quality-of-life scores improved 13%. Mood, fatigue, sleep, and pain also improved. No serious adverse events occurred; common side effects were transient hypertension, headache, and tachycardia. The findings suggest psilocybin-assisted treatment is feasible and well-tolerated, warranting further research.

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-38091-9 Full text Psilocybin Anxiety Lyme disease Adverse effect +9