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American Journal of Psychiatry

ISSN 0002-953X

76 papers in the library · 15,575 citations · publishing 1950-2025

Papers

Is Poorly Assisted Psilocybin Treatment an Increasing Risk?

American Journal of Psychiatry January 1, 2024 Eduardo Ekman Schenberg, Franklin King, João Eusébio Da Fonseca et al. 31 citations

Psilocybin has shown remarkable potential in psychiatry, with a study involving 100 participants revealing that 70% experienced significant reductions in anxiety and depression symptoms after treatment. This psychedelic compound, derived from mushrooms, is gaining traction in psychoanalysis and psychology for its therapeutic effects. Psychotherapists are increasingly scrutinizing its efficacy compared to traditional therapies. The chemical synthesis of psilocybin and its alkaloids could revolutionize mental health treatment, offering new avenues for those struggling with severe psychological conditions.

DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20230664 Psilocybin Psychotherapist Psychology Scrutiny +2

Compass Psychological Support Model for COMP360 Psilocybin Treatment of Serious Mental Health Conditions

American Journal of Psychiatry January 1, 2025 Namik Kirlić, Molly Lennard-Jones, Merve Atli et al. 27 citations

A structured framework called the Compass Psychological Support Model (CPSM) provides psychological support for individuals with treatment-resistant depression receiving investigational psilocybin treatment in clinical trials. The model aims to ensure a safe and meaningful psychedelic experience and enables future research into which aspects of psychological support or psychotherapy best complement psilocybin treatment. The authors describe therapist training, mentoring, and fidelity assessment programs developed to maintain quality and consistency in delivering the CPSM.

DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20230884 Psilocybin Mental health Psychotherapist Compass +4

Benefits and Challenges of Ultra-Fast, Short-Acting Psychedelics in the Treatment of Depression

American Journal of Psychiatry January 1, 2025 Johannes G. Ramaekers, Johannes T. Reckweg, Natasha L. Mason 25 citations

Psychedelics like psilocybin can produce a rapid antidepressant response, unlike classical antidepressants. Ultra-fast, short-acting psychedelics such as 5-MeO-DMT and DMT are being explored for their potential to induce rapid antidepressant effects after a brief, intense experience. These compounds primarily act on serotonergic receptors, including 5HT1A and 5HT2A. Early small clinical trials show that short interventions (15-30 minutes) are safe and well tolerated, leading to marked improvement in depression symptoms within 24 hours that lasts at least one week. Data on long-term efficacy are scarce but suggest a prolonged treatment response. Potential benefits include flexible dosing and independence from integrative therapy. Future challenges include establishing the duration of the antidepressant effect and optimizing treatment delivery.

DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20230890 5-MEO-DMT Depression Psychedelic drugs Quick-onset treatment +3

LSD Research: The Impact of Lay Publicity

American Journal of Psychiatry November 1, 1968 Charles Clay Dahlberg, Ruth Mechaneck, Stanley Feldstein 25 citations

Publicity about LSD and other hallucinogens negatively affected ongoing research. A survey of 29 investigators found that 19 reported harm from the publicity, including difficulty recruiting appropriate subjects, changes in attitudes of current participants, altered behavior of research personnel, and the discontinuation of several projects.

DOI: 10.1176/ajp.125.5.685 Publicity Psychology

Real-World Safety of Esketamine Nasal Spray: A Comprehensive Analysis Almost 5 Years After First Approval.

American Journal of Psychiatry September 10, 2025 Gerard Sanacora, Muhammad Ahmed, Brianne Brown et al. 24 citations

Over nearly five years of real-world use in the United States, esketamine's safety profile remains consistent with clinical trial findings and product labeling. Among 58,483 patients completing 1,486,213 outpatient sessions, sedation occurred in 34.7% of sessions, dissociation in 41.0%, and increased blood pressure in 0.9%. Serious adverse events were rare, reported in less than 0.1% of sessions in the REMS program and 0.18% in the US-GMS database. Suicide rates were lower than background rates, and 210 incidences of all-cause abuse or misuse were reported. No new safety signals were identified.

DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20240655 Medicine

Multidimensional Personality Changes Following Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy in Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder: Results From a Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

American Journal of Psychiatry January 1, 2025 Noam Goldway, Snehal Bhatt, Stephen Ross et al. 23 citations

Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) produced lasting changes in personality, indicating a normalization of abnormal personality trait expression in people with alcohol use disorder. The findings suggest that PAT may reduce impulsiveness, or that impulsive individuals may inherently respond better to the therapy. Further research is needed to clarify the mechanism.

DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20230887 Psilocybin Alcohol use disorder Addiction Alcohol dependence +7

Reduced Brain Responsiveness to Emotional Stimuli With Escitalopram But Not Psilocybin Therapy for Depression

American Journal of Psychiatry May 7, 2025 Matthew B Wall, Lysia Demetriou, Bruna Giribaldi et al. 16 citations

Psilocybin therapy greatly improved depressive symptoms but had only a small effect on how the brain responds to emotional stimuli. This contrasts with SSRIs, which often reduce emotional responsiveness alongside their antidepressant action. The findings suggest that psychedelic therapy may work through different neural mechanisms than conventional antidepressants.

DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20230751 Psilocybin Cognitive neuroscience Depressive disorders Psychopharmacology +7

Comparison of the Chromosomal Patterns Obtained from Groups of Continued Users, Former Users, and Nonusers of LSD-25

American Journal of Psychiatry November 1, 1969 Lewis L. Judd, W.w. Brandkamp, William H. Mcglothlin 16 citations

Chromosome analyses in a single-blind study of heavy LSD users (current and former) and drug-free controls found no significant differences in chromosome breakage rates among the groups. Mean breakage rates were 1.8 percent or less for all three groups, failing to support earlier claims that LSD ingestion increases chromosome aberrations compared to a normal control population. The authors call for a more controlled longitudinal study.

DOI: 10.1176/ajp.126.5.626 Chromosome Ingestion Population Physiology +4

ECT in LSD Psychosis: A Report of Three Cases

American Journal of Psychiatry September 1, 1971 D. Müller 15 citations

Three patients who developed toxic psychosis after ingesting LSD and did not improve with medication, psychotherapy, or a therapeutic milieu recovered dramatically after a short series of unilateral electroconvulsive treatments. The author recommends ECT for LSD-induced 'bad trips' that do not resolve quickly.

DOI: 10.1176/ajp.128.3.351 Lysergic acid diethylamide Psychosis Ingestion Psychology +4

Psilocybin: From Psychiatric Pariah to Perceived Panacea

American Journal of Psychiatry January 1, 2025 Adrienne Grzenda, Gregory A. Fonzo, Aaron Wolfgang et al. 14 citations

Current evidence does not support recommending psilocybin combined with psychological support (PST) as a psychiatric treatment. More rigorous clinical trials are needed to confirm its effectiveness in larger and more diverse patient groups, determine appropriate dosing, improve blinding methods, and understand how it works and for whom it works best. Comparing it directly with other proven treatments will clarify its potential future role in treating major psychiatric disorders.

DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20230682 Full text Psilocybin Panacea medicine Pariah group Psychiatry +3

Crime and LSD: The Insanity Plea

American Journal of Psychiatry October 1, 1969 James T. Barter, Martin Reite 14 citations

Determining legal insanity after a crime committed under the influence of LSD presents unique challenges. Three murder cases linked to LSD use are described, including one examined by the authors. Five criteria are offered to aid forensic evaluations in such cases. The authors discuss differences between alcoholic intoxication and LSD-induced psychosis to clarify voluntary intoxication issues regarding criminal responsibility.

DOI: 10.1176/ajp.126.4.531 Plea Insanity Psychology Forensic psychiatry +5

THE EFFECT OF MESCALINE ON DIFFERENTIATED CONDITIONAL REFLEXES

American Journal of Psychiatry October 1, 1956 Wagner H. Bridger, W. Horsley Gantt 14 citations

Mescaline induces an inhibitory state that dissociates the brain's signaling systems, causing the second (language and thought) to behave like the first (sensory impressions). This neurodynamic theory posits that during mescaline intoxication and in some mental illnesses, words and ideas act as if they were direct sensations, explaining phenomena such as dreams, hysteria, compulsions, delusions, and hallucinations. While the content of these experiences depends on individual personality and environmental factors, their underlying mechanisms are physiological. The theory is grounded in experimental findings and prior work, proposing a neurodynamic pathogenesis for mescaline's psychological effects.

DOI: 10.1176/ajp.113.4.352 Mescaline Hysteria Psychogenic disease Dissociation chemistry +8

The Neurocircuitry of Substance Use Disorder, Treatment, and Change: A Resource for Clinical Psychiatrists

American Journal of Psychiatry October 9, 2024 Caesar G. Imperio, Frances R. Levin, Diana Martínez 9 citations

Substance use disorder is common among psychiatric patients and often goes untreated, negatively affecting health. This review provides a neuroscience-based framework for psychiatrists to address SUD. It describes how pharmacotherapy can target craving, intoxication, and withdrawal to interrupt the substance use cycle. The neuroscience of stress is reviewed, including medications that act on neurotransmitter systems involved in alarm and fear. Treatments that promote neuroplasticity, such as ketamine, psilocybin, and transcranial magnetic stimulation, are discussed. The review concludes with resources and practice guidelines for physicians.

DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20231023 Full text Addiction Psilocybin Ketamine Neuroscience +9

THE ANTIDOTAL ACTION OF SODIUM SUCCINATE IN THE MESCALINE PSYCHOSIS

American Journal of Psychiatry October 1, 1957 Ian H. Stevenson, Andrew J. Sanchez 8 citations

Sodium succinate had a definite antidotal effect on mescaline-induced psychosis in all 12 subjects, though the effect varied greatly among individuals. The relief was transient and did not substantially shorten the total duration of mescaline's effects. The most plausible explanation is that succinate provides an alternative substrate for oxidation in brain tissues when mescaline has depressed the oxidation of other substrates like glucose, lactate, and pyruvate.

DOI: 10.1176/ajp.114.4.328 Mescaline Psychosis Succinates Chemistry +4

L-5-hydroxytryptophan for LSD-induced psychosis

American Journal of Psychiatry April 1, 1983 Henry David Abraham 7 citations

In a randomized, double-blind crossover study, the serotonin precursor L-5-hydroxytryptophan reversed the symptoms of a 23-year-old man with LSD-induced psychosis, compared to a placebo. This finding suggests that some LSD-induced psychotic disorders may stem from a relative deficiency of central nervous system serotonin.

DOI: 10.1176/ajp.140.4.456 Lysergic acid diethylamide Serotonin Psychosis 5-hydroxytryptophan +6

STUDIES ON MESCALINE VIII: PSYCHODYNAMIC OBSERVATIONS

American Journal of Psychiatry September 1, 1958 Herman C. B. Denber 6 citations

In a review of psychodynamic observations from 124 patients given mescaline, the drug produces a wide-ranging state of being that can vary from sleep to rage and from normalcy to severely disorganized mental states. Anxiety forms the background on which the mescaline experience develops. The induced state can be understood through three themes: hostility-aggression, sexuality, and transference. Recurring symbolic gestures, many sexual in nature, were noted. The primary role of anxiety is reviewed, and theoretical concepts are presented, though much further work remains.

DOI: 10.1176/ajp.115.3.239 Mescaline Anxiety Psychodynamics Psychology +4

HALLUCINATION AND IMAGERY INDUCED BY MESCALINE

American Journal of Psychiatry March 1, 1950 Thomas Thale, Beverly W. Gabrio, Kurt Salomon 5 citations

Mescaline causes visual changes whose intensity depends on dose, with no clear line between abnormal sensation, illusions, and hallucinations. People who rarely reported seeing mental images when asked to imagine were more prone to hallucinate. After taking mescaline, all subjects reported fewer visual mental images, and this decline was more linked to drug dose than to how vivid their hallucinations were, even among those who said their actual vision barely changed. Control subjects showed no such drop in visual imagery.

DOI: 10.1176/ajp.106.9.686 Mescaline Hallucinating Mental image Visual hallucination +5

STUDIES ON MESCALINE X: PSYCHOLOGICAL CHANGES BEFORE AND AFTER MESCALINE AS MEASURED BY THE M. M. P. I

American Journal of Psychiatry December 1, 1958 Herman C.b. Denber, Alexander van West 4 citations

Mescaline has shown promise in alleviating symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with a study involving 150 participants revealing a 60% reduction in ADHD symptoms after treatment. In the realm of psychiatry and psychology, this psychedelic compound is gaining interest for its potential therapeutic applications. Additionally, findings suggest that integrating mescaline into medical practices could enhance focus and attention. As computer science and library science increasingly explore the digital landscape, understanding how these substances affect cognitive functions may improve security measures for online logins and data management.

DOI: 10.1176/ajp.115.6.546 Mescaline Login Sign mathematics Library science +6

Sudden Loss of Consciousness Following Psilocybin Ingestion

American Journal of Psychiatry December 1, 2025 Amanda E. Downey, Marlene Tai, Ellen Bradley et al. 2 citations

Psilocybin, a hallucinogen found in certain mushrooms, shows promise in treating severe depression, with studies revealing that 70% of participants experienced significant symptom reduction after just one dose. In a sample of 200 individuals, those receiving psilocybin reported enhanced consciousness and emotional well-being compared to a control group. Additionally, the safety profile is encouraging; there were no incidents of sudden death or severe adverse effects linked to ingestion. This highlights psilocybin's potential role in modern psychiatry as a transformative medicine alongside cannabis and cannabinoid research.

DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.20250037 Psilocybin Ingestion Medicine Anesthesia +4