Acute and Sustained Reductions in Loss of Meaning and Suicidal Ideation Following Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy for Psychiatric and Existential Distress in Life-Threatening Cancer
ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science March 18, 2021 Stephen Ross, Gabrielle Agin-Liebes, Sharon L. Lo et al. 133 citations
People with advanced cancer face elevated risks of desire for hastened death, suicidal ideation, and completed suicide. Loss of meaning, a component of demoralization, predicts these outcomes. In a randomized controlled trial, psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy produced rapid and sustained improvements in depression, demoralization, and hopelessness. Secondary analyses showed that among participants with elevated suicidal ideation at baseline, reductions in suicidal ideation appeared as early as 8 hours and persisted for 6.5 months. Large reductions in loss of meaning emerged 2 weeks after treatment and remained significant at 6.5 months and at 3.2 and 4.5 year follow-ups. The findings suggest psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy may be an effective antisuicidal intervention for cancer patients due to its positive impact on hopelessness and meaning-making.