Psychiatry research
May 1, 2024
Yuan Yao, Dan Guo, Tang-Sheng Lu et al.
126 citations
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 126 articles found that psychedelics—psilocybin, ayahuasca, LSD, and MDMA—reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. Psilocybin showed the strongest therapeutic effect, followed by ayahuasca, MDMA, and LSD. Limited evidence also supports benefits for tobacco addiction, eating disorders, sleep disorders, borderline personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and body dysmorphic disorder. The most common adverse event was headache; nearly a third of articles reported no lasting adverse effects. The findings suggest psychedelics have potential efficacy in substance-use disorders and PTSD.
Psychiatry research
November 1, 2023
Sipan Haikazian, David C J Chen-Li, Danica E Johnson et al.
121 citations
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 13 studies (686 participants) found that psilocybin therapy produced a large reduction in depressive symptoms compared to control conditions, with a standardized mean difference of -0.78. Response and remission rates were also significantly higher with psilocybin. Open-label trials showed robust decreases in depression after psilocybin administration. The findings suggest antidepressant efficacy for psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy, but the authors note that further studies are needed to confirm safety and efficacy and to optimize treatment protocols.
Psychiatry research
May 1, 2024
B Romeo, E Kervadec, B Fauvel et al.
48 citations
Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapies show promise for psychiatric disorders. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 30 studies found that over more than 1000 administrations, only nine serious adverse events occurred (one during the acute phase, eight post-acute). No suicide attempts happened during the acute phase, but three participants engaged in self-harm post-acute. Psychedelics increased risk of elevated heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure across all dose ranges, and nausea during the acute phase. Common side effects included headaches, anxiety, and decreased concentration or appetite. The analysis indicates that psychedelics are well-tolerated with a low risk of serious adverse events in controlled settings with appropriate inclusion criteria.
Psychiatry research
May 1, 2023
Kirsten R Müller-vahl, Anna Pisarenko, Natalia Szejko et al.
36 citations
A randomized, placebo-controlled phase IIIb trial tested the cannabis extract nabiximols in 97 adults with Tourette syndrome or chronic tic disorders. Although 21.9% of those receiving nabiximols achieved a 25% or greater reduction in tics compared to 9.1% on placebo, the difference was not statistically significant. Secondary analyses showed trends toward improvement in tics, depression, and quality of life. Exploratory subgroup analyses suggested that males, patients with more severe tics, and those with comorbid ADHD may benefit more. No major safety concerns arose.
Psychiatry research
December 1, 2023
Kathrin Hassdenteufel, Mitho Müller, Harald Abele et al.
32 citations
A supervised internet-based mindfulness program during late pregnancy did not reduce general depression or anxiety symptoms, but it did lower pregnancy- and birth-related anxiety and reduced the rate of women at risk for postpartum mental health problems six weeks after birth. Mindfulness scores also improved. The trial screened over 5,000 pregnant women, enrolled 460 who had elevated depressive symptoms, and randomly assigned them to the eight-week digital mindfulness intervention or a control group. The program, delivered between weeks 29 and 36 of pregnancy, showed no significant effect on overall depressive or anxiety symptoms, but positive effects emerged for pregnancy-specific worries and postpartum depression prevention.
Psychiatry research
March 1, 2025
Stephanie L Haft, Amanda E Downey, Marissa Raymond-Flesch et al.
22 citations
A systematic review of 21 randomized controlled trials of psilocybin- and MDMA-assisted therapies (total 1034 participants) found that participant samples lack diversity. Gender was always reported, race or ethnicity in 76% of trials, and socioeconomic status in 57%. Sexual orientation (9.5%) and immigration status (4.8%) were rarely reported; no study reported gender identity. Compared to the US population and non-psychedelic clinical trials, Black/African-American participants (2.2%) and Hispanic/Latino participants (7.2%) were significantly underrepresented. MDMA trials enrolled more diverse samples than psilocybin trials. Analyses of treatment effects by demographic variables were virtually absent. The findings indicate a need for inclusive recruitment and rigorous reporting to improve generalizability.
Psychiatry research
September 1, 2024
Qinghua Guo, Libo Guo, Yong Wang et al.
19 citations
A network meta-analysis of 72 randomized controlled trials with 12,105 participants found that electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), ketamine, esketamine, and psilocybin are superior first-line treatments for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) due to their optimal balance of effectiveness and tolerability. Brexpiprazole and quetiapine showed no significant efficacy over placebo in response rates. Esketamine and psilocybin exhibited lower tolerability. The findings advocate for ECT, ketamine, esketamine, and psilocybin as preferred treatments, guiding clinical practice with evidence-based recommendations for enhancing treatment outcomes.
Psychiatry research
January 1, 2024
Wei Liu, Jing Yuan, Yun Wu et al.
19 citations
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) reduced depression, anxiety, sleep problems, and inflammatory markers (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α) while increasing mindfulness, self-compassion, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in college students with major depressive disorder, compared with a wait-list group. Greater daily practice time and more session attendance were linked to larger reductions in depression, anxiety, and sleep difficulties. Completers showed significantly greater improvement than partial attendees, indicating a dose-response effect.
Psychiatry research
September 1, 2024
Arthur Bezerra Cavalcanti Petrucci, João Vitor Andrade Fernandes, Isabelle Albuquerque Reis et al.
18 citations
A systematic review and meta-analysis of six randomized controlled trials involving 655 patients compared ketamine with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for major depressive episodes. Ketamine was not non-inferior to ECT in response rate, with a risk difference of -0.10. ECT led to a greater reduction in depression scores, though remission and relapse rates did not differ. Ketamine resulted in better posttreatment cognition and fewer muscle aches but more dissociative symptoms. Among inpatients, ketamine was inferior to ECT in response and remission. The findings support ECT over ketamine for inpatients, and further research is needed for outpatients.
Psychiatry research
May 1, 2024
Balwinder Singh, Sagar V Parikh, Jennifer L Vande Voort et al.
18 citations
In a nonrandomized, open-label clinical trial, 74 adults with treatment-resistant depression received three intravenous ketamine infusions, with an additional four infusions for those who remitted. After the acute phase, 53% (39/74) experienced remission of depression symptoms. Higher baseline language domain scores on the RBANS cognitive assessment were associated with greater odds of remission. No significant association was found between remission and baseline immediate or delayed memory, visuospatial, or attention scores. During the continuation phase, improvements in immediate and delayed memory and attention persisted, with additional gains in visuospatial and language domains. The findings suggest cognitive improvement, not deterioration, with serial ketamine administration.
Psychiatry research
February 1, 2025
Damian Swieczkowski, Aleksander Kwaśny, Michal Pruc et al.
17 citations
In patients with Major Depressive Disorder, psilocybin reduces depression symptoms more than placebo by Day 8 and Day 15 after treatment, but not by Day 2. A 25 mg dose is the most effective among those tested (0.215 mg/kg, 10 mg, and 25 mg). Psilocybin carries a higher risk of adverse events, especially nausea. These findings come from a meta-analysis of three randomized placebo-controlled trials involving 389 adults.
Psychiatry research
October 1, 2024
Gilmar Gutierrez, Jennifer Swainson, Nisha Ravindran et al.
17 citations
Both intravenous ketamine and intranasal esketamine significantly reduce depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in people with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder. In a multi-site observational study of 53 patients, those receiving IV ketamine (26 patients, average age 52.8) and those receiving IN esketamine (27 patients, average age 43.9) showed similar improvements in depression severity and suicidal thoughts. Side effects were mild and temporary, with no significant difference in risk between the two treatments. The findings suggest both therapies are effective and well tolerated for treatment-resistant depression.
Psychiatry research
September 29, 1995
J Kärkkäinen, M Räisänen, M O Huttunen et al.
17 citations
Among violent offenders, those with paranoid personality traits tend to have higher urinary levels of bufotenin, a substance measured by mass spectrometry. In drug-free patients, bufotenin excretion was positively linked to suspiciousness and negatively linked to socialization, two strongly interdependent personality traits. In drug users, bufotenin excretion correlated positively with social desirability and negatively with irritability, but not with suspiciousness. The study found no association between bufotenin levels and violence toward family members, contrary to an earlier report. These results support the earlier finding linking bufotenin to paranoid traits in violent offenders.
Psychiatry research
March 1, 2025
Juliana Lima Constantino, Martijn Godschalk, Jens H van Dalfsen et al.
14 citations
About half of people with treatment-resistant depression do not respond to (es)ketamine, despite its known efficacy. This systematic review of 44 studies examined whether demographic or clinical traits predict who will respond or remit after (es)ketamine treatment. Overall, most demographic and clinical variables showed no consistent predictive value. Preliminary evidence linked better response to anhedonia, sleep disturbances, childhood physical abuse, obesity, openness, better episodic memory and visual learning, poorer neurocognitive performance, slower processing speed, and lower attention, while melancholic depression, benzodiazepine use, and metabolic syndrome were linked to worse response. These associations need replication, but suggest (es)ketamine may benefit patients with characteristics often considered hard to treat.
Psychiatry research
September 1, 2024
Jianhua Yang, Ni Wang, Wulin Luo et al.
14 citations
MDMA-assisted psychotherapy reduces PTSD symptoms more than placebo or active controls, based on seven randomized controlled trials. The therapy lowered scores on the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale from baseline. However, MDMA causes adverse events such as muscle tightness, nausea, and decreased appetite. Side effects and abuse potential seriously hinder its clinical use.
Psychiatry research
May 1, 2024
Gilmar Gutierrez, Melody J Y Kang, Gustavo Vazquez
12 citations
In patients with major depressive disorder and treatment-resistant depression, intravenous low-dose ketamine combined with standard care significantly reduced depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation over a five-year period. Of 71 outpatients, 54.93% responded to treatment, 78.26% experienced transient mild side effects, and 11.27% dropped out. Demographic variables did not affect treatment outcome or tolerability. The findings suggest that low-dose ketamine is an effective, fast-acting, and well-tolerated option for managing depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in this population in real-world clinical settings.
Psychiatry research
May 1, 2024
Eric A Miller, Houtan Totonchi Afshar, Jyoti Mishra et al.
12 citations
Ketamine helps some patients with treatment-resistant depression, but predicting who will respond is difficult. Analyzing symptom trajectories from 120 patients treated with ketamine or esketamine in a real-world clinic, all symptoms improved on average, with depressed mood improving faster than low energy. A principal component analysis identified overall treatment response and a second component reflecting differences between affective and somatic symptoms. Logistic regression classifiers predicted overall response better than chance using baseline symptoms alone. By adjusting decision thresholds, models identified 22% of patients who would not respond with over 96% negative predictive value, potentially guiding treatment recommendations to avoid ineffective treatments.
Psychiatry research
June 1, 2025
Ekin Alkan, Geetanjali Kumar, Shreya Ravichandran et al.
11 citations
Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), including Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, are effective at reducing depressive symptoms across a range of psychiatric disorders. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 35 randomized controlled trials covering 12 diagnostic categories found that these interventions produced significant effect sizes compared to active control conditions. The findings suggest that MBIs can serve as a cost-effective, transdiagnostic tool for treating depressive symptoms not only in depressive disorders but across mental health conditions.
Psychiatry research
October 1, 2024
Seyed Aria Nejadghaderi, Seyed Ehsan Mousavi, Asra Fazlollahi et al.
11 citations
Yoga appears to be a safe and effective complementary intervention for reducing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptoms. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 20 randomized controlled trials involving adults with PTSD found that yoga significantly improved self-reported PTSD symptoms and both immediate and long-term depression symptoms compared to control interventions. However, clinician-reported assessments did not show improvement in PTSD symptoms. No serious adverse events were reported across six studies that tracked them. The type of yoga influenced outcomes, and individual studies often had high bias, but overall results suggest yoga is likely beneficial for individuals with PTSD.
Psychiatry research
October 1, 2024
Je-Yeon Yun, Yong-Ku Kim
11 citations
A systematic review of 41 brain MRI studies involving 1,396 people with treatment-resistant depression and 587 healthy controls identified neural correlates of ketamine's antidepressant effects. Ketamine (0.5 mg/kg racemic or 0.25 mg/kg S-ketamine, infused intravenously over 40 minutes, given one to six times over two weeks) rapidly reduces depressive symptoms. Meaningful brain-based markers of treatment response were found in limbic, salience, fronto-parietal, default-mode, and subcortical networks. Features in limbic, salience, and fronto-parietal networks may help predict which patients with treatment-resistant depression will respond better to ketamine, particularly for relief of anhedonia, thought rumination, and suicidal ideation.
Psychiatry research
January 1, 2022
Joshua D Di Vincenzo, Orly Lipsitz, Nelson B Rodrigues et al.
11 citations
A small proportion of people with treatment-resistant depression experience clinically significant worsening of symptoms during a course of intravenous ketamine, but the rate is very low—between 1.83% and 5.49% across infusion time points—and similar to that seen with conventional antidepressants. In a retrospective analysis of 164 adults (142 with unipolar depression and 22 with bipolar depression) who received four ketamine infusions over two weeks, no individuals with bipolar depression reported worsening. The findings suggest that symptomatic worsening with ketamine is uncommon, though the study's uncontrolled, single-center design limits certainty.
Psychiatry research
December 1, 2024
Zev Schuman-Olivier, Richa Gawande, Timothy B Creedon et al.
10 citations
Mindfulness training helps people change health behaviors partly by improving how they listen to and trust internal bodily signals, a process called interoceptive appreciation. In a randomized trial with 274 primary care patients who had depression, anxiety, or stress disorders related to chronic illness, those who received Mindfulness Training for Primary Care showed greater initiation of a chosen health behavior action plan compared to a low-dose mindfulness group. The effect was mediated by interoceptive appreciation: among patients without depression, listening to bodily signals played a key role; among those with moderate-to-severe depression, trusting bodily signals was more important. Regaining body trust may be a crucial step for behavior change in depression.
Psychiatry research
May 1, 2024
Jinping Wang, Hui Liu, Xinchuan Wei
9 citations
A systematic review and meta-analysis of nine randomized controlled trials with 1277 participants found that administering esketamine during or after cesarean delivery significantly reduces the incidence of postpartum depression and lowers Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scores in the early postoperative period. Esketamine also decreased the occurrence of postoperative nausea and vomiting without affecting other psychiatric symptoms.
Psychiatry research
December 1, 2023
Kerem Böge, David J Hallford, Matthias Pillny
9 citations
People with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) report lower mindfulness and psychological flexibility than healthy controls. Among 43 SSD patients and 43 controls, higher mindfulness was linked to greater psychological flexibility, anticipatory pleasure, and behavioral activation, and to fewer depressive and negative symptoms. Psychological flexibility was associated with lower depressive and negative symptoms and more anticipatory pleasure and behavioral activation. The findings suggest that interventions targeting mindfulness and psychological flexibility may help reduce amotivational symptoms in SSD.
Psychiatry research
July 1, 2025
Mazyar Fathi, Mohammad Navid Ebrahimi, Mohammad Banazadeh et al.
6 citations
A systematic review of 32 studies (18 EEG, 11 fMRI, and 3 fNIRS) examined neurofeedback as a treatment for substance use disorders. The primary outcome was reduced drug craving and improvements in some aspects of mental health. EEG-based neurofeedback studies consistently used the alpha-theta protocol, while fMRI-based protocols varied too much for direct comparison. Overall, neurofeedback shows promise as an adjunctive intervention for treating substance use disorders.