Psilocybin for clinical indications: A scoping review

A systematic scoping review of clinical indications for psilocybin identified 193 published and 80 ongoing studies. Most studies had small sample sizes, with a median of 22 participants and 18 who had taken psilocybin. Only 12% were randomized controlled trials, while 37% were systematic reviews. The most common indication studied was depression (28%), followed by substance use (14%), mental health in life-threatening illness (9%), headaches (6%), depression and anxiety (6%), obsessive-compulsive disorder (3%), and anxiety disorders (3%). Thirty-eight percent of studies reported at least one potential conflict of interest. The authors conclude there is a need for high-quality randomized trials and to expand consideration to other promising indications, such as chronic pain.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Background: Psychedelic drugs have been of interest in medicine since the early 1950s. There has recently been a resurgence of interest in psychedelics. Aims: The objective of this study is to determine the extent of the available literature on psilocybin for medical indications including the designs used, study characteristics, indications studied, doses, and authors’ conclusions. We identify areas for further study where there are research gaps. Methods: We conducted a systematic scoping review of clinical indications for psilocybin, encompassing psychiatric and medical conditions. We systematically searched Medline and Embase using keywords related to psilocybin. We reviewed titles and texts in duplicate using Covidence software. We extracted data individually in duplicate using Covidence software and a senior reviewer resolved all author conflicts. We analyzed data descriptively. Results: We included 193 published and 80 ongoing studies. Thirty-seven percent of included studies were systematic reviews. Only 12% of included studies were randomized controlled trials. The median number of participants was 22 with a median of 18 participants who had taken psilocybin. Thirty-eight percent of studies reported at least one potential conflict of interest. The most common indication was depression (28%). Also commonly studied were substance use (14%), mental health in life-threatening illness (9%), headaches (6%), depression and anxiety (6%), obsessive-compulsive disorder (3%), and anxiety disorders (3%). Conclusions: Most studies involving the administration of psilocybin have small sample sizes and the most common focus has been psychiatric disorders. There is a need for high-quality randomized trials on psilocybin and to expand consideration to other promising indications, such as chronic pain.