Potential Therapeutic Effects of Psilocybin
This review (2017) evaluates the therapeutic research into psilocybin as a treatment for addiction, treatment-resistant depression, and mood and anxiety disorders. The authors also analyse the safety data from these clinical trials.
Authors
- Roland Griffiths
- Matthew Johnson
Published
Abstract
Psilocybin and other 5-hydroxytryptamine2A agonist classic psychedelics have been used for centuries as sacraments within indigenous cultures. In the mid-twentieth century they were a focus within psychiatry as both probes of brain function and experimental therapeutics. By the late 1960s and early 1970s these scientific inquires fell out of favor because classic psychedelics were being used outside of medical research and in association with the emerging counter culture. However, in the twenty-first century, scientific interest in classic psychedelics has returned and grown as a result of several promising studies, validating earlier research. Here, we review therapeutic research on psilocybin, the classic psychedelic that has been the focus of most recent research. For mood and anxiety disorders, three controlled trials have suggested that psilocybin may decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety in the context of cancer-related psychiatric distress for at least 6 months following a single acute administration. A small, open-label study in patients with treatment-resistant depression showed reductions in depression and anxiety symptoms 3 months after two acute doses. For addiction, small, open-label pilot studies have shown promising success rates for both tobacco and alcohol addiction. Safety data from these various trials, which involve careful screening, preparation, monitoring, and follow-up, indicate the absence of severe drug-related adverse reactions. Modest drug-related adverse effects at the time of medication administration are readily managed. US federal funding has yet to support therapeutic psilocybin research, although such support will be important to thoroughly investigate efficacy, safety, and therapeutic mechanisms.
Research Summary of 'Potential Therapeutic Effects of Psilocybin'
Introduction
Classic psychedelics such as psilocybin have a long history of sacramental use in indigenous cultures and drew intense scientific interest in the mid-twentieth century. Between the 1950s and mid-1960s, more than 1,000 clinical papers involving roughly 40,000 patients were published, producing early, though methodologically limited, evidence that these compounds might aid end-of-life psychiatric distress and addiction. Political backlash and regulatory changes largely halted human research for decades, but interest has resumed in the twenty-first century, with psilocybin becoming the principal focus of recent clinical work. This review examines modern therapeutic research on psilocybin, emphasising two potential indications: cancer-related psychiatric distress and addiction. It summarises clinical trials, pilot studies, observational reports and mechanistic work, and highlights safety considerations and the structured therapeutic model commonly employed in clinical research with psilocybin.
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Johnson, M. W., & Griffiths, R. R. (2017). Potential Therapeutic Effects of Psilocybin. Neurotherapeutics, 14(3), 734-740. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13311-017-0542-y
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