Self-treatment of parental neglect-induced mixed anxiety and depressive disorder with psilocybin – A retrospective case study

A woman in her mid-twenties with lifelong depression, stemming from childhood neglect and emotional parentification, found relief through self-administered psilocybin mushroom sessions over two years. After four low-dose and three conventional-dose sessions, she considered her depression resolved. The psilocybin helped her recognize that adverse childhood experiences were the root of her depression, and later boundary-setting and psychotherapy for integration provided significant relief. This case suggests that unsupervised self-treatment with psilocybin is a feasible, cost-effective method that could address mental health care resource shortages.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This article presents the case of a young woman in her mid-twenties with a history of depression since childhood. She lived with a mother who failed to take care of her. The patient cared for the emotional needs of the mother instead of the mother caring for the daughter's needs. Her father was mostly absent. Already around the age of thirteen, the patient was severely depressed and was self-harming without anyone interfering with it. Eventually, her parents divorced when she was fourteen. Since then, she and her younger brother lived practically on their own for several years. She was 'unable to either recognize or process' her feelings, and assumed that she was supposed to 'serve others'. At the age of twenty, she moved in with a severely traumatized boyfriend. Compared to his, her childhood appeared 'very happy'. She was 'disconnected from her feelings' and 'could not understand what was wrong'. As she enrolled in a higher education facility, comparisons with other students made her realize that her own upbringing differed from theirs. She was unable to verbalize her problem, and the student healthcare system did not recommend psychotherapy for her. She was prescribed escitalopram, but it 'never worked'. Cannabis somewhat alleviated anxiety but led to passivity. Eventually, she tried psilocybin mushrooms. In the course of two years, she carried out four sessions with lower doses, and three sessions with conventional psychedelic doses of psilocybin. Subsequently, she considered her depression resolved. The mushrooms 'did not provide a swift solution' but 'played a major role' in the resolution of her depression. They enabled her to see that the root of her depression was in her adverse childhood experiences. Later, 'setting boundaries' and 'doing things as she wished' provided 'significant relief'. After this, she was also granted psychotherapy, which she utilized for 'psychedelic integration'. This case, along with previous case studies on the same approach, demonstrates that unsupervised self-treatment is a feasible, cost-effective, and relatively simple method, which could enable societies to overcome the cost and resource crisis of mental health care.