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.
Psychedelic Medicine
March 1, 2026
Jennifer Pincombe, Martin Williams, Sean Carruthers et al.
A systematic review of qualitative studies on psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) for mental disorders found 13 studies covering depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, trauma- and stressor-related disorders, alcohol-use disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and anorexia nervosa. The studies explored 12 topics from pre- to postintervention experiences, mostly using semi-structured interviews with interpretative phenomenological analysis or thematic analysis. The review identifies opportunities for future research, including covering a broader range of mental disorders, exploring longer-term outcomes, sustainability of effects, postintervention support, adverse experiences, comparing active and control group experiences, and including therapist and significant other perspectives with larger sample sizes.