Suicidality
Suicidality encompasses a spectrum of suicidal thoughts and behaviours, significantly impacting individuals globally. Recent research into psychedelics, particularly ketamine and ayahuasca, shows promise in rapidly alleviating suicidal ideation associated with mental health disorders.
Key Insights
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Ketamine has been shown to provide rapid relief from suicidal ideation, with significant clinical improvements observed within hours of administration.
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Esketamine, a derivative of ketamine, has been approved by the FDA for treatment-resistant depression and shows potential for addressing suicidality.
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Recent trials indicate that ayahuasca may lead to rapid and sustained reductions in suicidal ideation among individuals with major depressive disorder.
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Many existing antidepressants can exacerbate suicidal thoughts, underscoring the need for alternative treatments.
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The understanding of suicidality and its treatment approaches is evolving, particularly as more research into psychedelics is conducted.
What is Suicidality?
Suicidality refers to the desire to end one's own life and includes suicidal ideation, planning, and attempts. It is often associated with mental health disorders, such as depression and substance use disorders, but can also occur in individuals without any formal diagnosis.
The World Health Organization estimates over 700,000 suicide deaths each year, with individuals aged 15-19 being particularly affected. Risk factors include previous suicide attempts, mental health disorders, substance misuse, and socio-economic challenges.
Diagnosing and treating suicidality can be complex due to the range of underlying factors. Clinicians employ various assessment tools, such as the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), to evaluate risk.
Standard treatments for suicidality often involve psychotherapy and medications targeting underlying mental disorders; however, traditional antidepressants typically require weeks to yield effects, which is a critical disadvantage for those in immediate danger.
Current Treatments
Current standard-of-care treatments for suicidality include psychotherapy (e.g., cognitive behavioural therapy, dialectical behaviour therapy) and pharmacotherapy for underlying conditions, typically involving antidepressants or anxiolytics which may take weeks to become effective.
Psychedelic Effect Matrix
Compound efficacy and evidence levels for Suicidality.
| Compound | Magnitude | Evidence | Consistency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ketamine Numerous studies demonstrate ketamine's rapid efficacy in reducing suicidal ideation. | Large | High | Consistent |
| Esketamine FDA approval based on robust data showing significant improvement in depression and suicidality. | Large | High | Consistent |
| Ayahuasca While initial trials suggest potential benefits, further research is needed to establish efficacy. | Medium | Moderate | Inconsistent |
Ketamine and Suicidality
Ketamine acts as a rapid-acting antidepressant, with effects seen within hours of administration. It modulates glutamate neurotransmission, which is believed to play a role in mood regulation, potentially alleviating suicidal thoughts almost immediately due to its unique pharmacological profile.
Esketamine and Suicidality
As a nasal spray formulation of ketamine, esketamine offers a novel delivery method that allows for rapid intervention in suicidal patients. Clinical trials indicate significant decreases in suicidal ideation shortly after administration, further emphasising its role in emergency psychiatric care.
Ayahuasca and Suicidality
Ayahuasca is reported to induce intense psychological experiences which may provide therapeutic insights and emotional release for individuals struggling with suicidal thoughts. Preliminary studies suggest it could lead to significant reductions in suicidality when combined with appropriate therapeutic support.
Clinical Outlook
The future of psychedelic treatments for suicidality appears optimistic, particularly as ongoing research continues to outline their potential efficacy and mechanisms. Promising results from clinical trials highlight the need for integration of psychedelics into mainstream psychiatric practices, paving the way for innovative treatment options for those at risk.
Industrial Landscape
Key players in psychedelic research for suicidality include pharmaceutical companies like Janssen Pharmaceuticals, which produces esketamine, and academic institutions such as Imperial College London, which explores the effects of psychedelics like ayahuasca.
Quick Indicators
Organisations
Search →Janssen Research & Development
Janssen Research & Development is the pharmaceutical research and development arm of Johnson & Johnson (J&J). Operating under J&J's Innovative Medicine division, Janssen has sponsored clinical trials into ketamine-derived compounds, including esketamine (Spravato), the first FDA-approved psychedelic-adjacent treatment for treatment-resistant depression.
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University is a public land-grant research university based in Columbus, Ohio, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs and conducting research across many fields. It was founded as the Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College and serves as a major educational and economic institution in Ohio.
COMPASS Pathways
COMPASS Pathways is a UK-listed biopharmaceutical company developing COMP360 synthetic psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression, with two successful Phase 3 trials making it the leading candidate for the first regulatory approval of a classic psychedelic medicine.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
U.S. federal institute defining mental-health research agendas and evidence-generation priorities including psychedelic-relevant studies.
Resilient Pharmaceuticals
Resilient Pharmaceuticals (formerly Lykos Therapeutics, formerly MAPS PBC) is a US-based public benefit corporation developing MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD. It was founded in 2014 by MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies) as a commercial spinout to carry MAPS’ three decades of MDMA research through late-stage trials and regulatory approval. After completing two Phase 3 trials and filing an NDA in 2024, the FDA issued a Complete Response Letter (CRL) in August 2024, citing concerns about functional unblinding, durability of response, safety reporting at two trial sites, and the challenge of blinding psychedelic studies. The CRL requested a third Phase 3 trial. Following the rejection, the company laid off approximately 75% of staff. In May 2025, billionaire investors Antonio Gracias (Gracias Foundation) and Sir Christopher Hohn (TCI Fund) led a $50 million Series B recapitalisation, installing new leadership: CEO Mike Burke and CMO Javier Muniz. Rick Doblin, MAPS’ founder, remains supportive of the new direction. The company rebranded from Lykos Therapeutics to Resilient Pharmaceuticals on 28 August 2025, and continues to negotiate a path to FDA approval for MDMA-assisted therapy for PTSD.
MAPS
Nonprofit organizer and host of the Psychedelic Science conference series, alongside broader educational and policy programming.
University of Amsterdam
The University of Amsterdam (UvA) is one of the Netherlands' leading research universities, with its Amsterdam UMC Department of Psychiatry conducting clinical trials on psilocybin and psychedelic-assisted therapies for treatment-resistant mental health conditions.
Imperial College London
The Centre for Psychedelic Research, led by Professor David Nutt and Dr. David Erritzoe, focuses heavily on the action of psychedelic drugs in the brain and their clinical utility as aides to psychotherapy. Thanks to their extensive neuroimaging studies, this group has proposed vital mechanisms for how psychedelics work, including the Entropic Brain Theory and REBUS (RElaxed Beliefs Under Psychedelics).
Columbia University
Research with psychedelics has been taking place at Columbia University in New York since 2014. Researchers from various departments at the university including Medicine, Psychology and Psychiatry have conducted numerous trials investigating the effects ketamine has on substance use disorders. Some research exploring the anti-depressant effects of ketamine has also taken place. More recently, Columbia University served as a test site for COMPASS Pathway's COMP360 trial which explored the effects of psilocybin on treatment-resistant depression. Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Dr David Hellerstein served as the principal investigator at this study site.
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
The MIND Foundation partnered with Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, one of Europe's largest university hospitals. Charité is affiliated with Humboldt University and Free University Berlin. This partnership sees researchers at the hospital carrying out clinical studies with psilocybin in patients with treatment-resistant depression. Studies also take place concurrently at the Central Institute for Mental Health Mannheim.
MIND Foundation
European nonprofit research and implementation organization that organizes the INSIGHT Conference and allied public/professional events.
Seelos Therapeutics
US clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing intranasal racemic ketamine (SLS-002) for major depressive disorder with acute suicidal ideation and PTSD. Completed Phase 2 trials before filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2024 and being delisted from Nasdaq; trading continues on OTCQB.
People
Search →Robin Murphy
Researcher at the University of Auckland School of Pharmacy
She is a coauthor on multiple human psychedelic studies spanning LSD microdosing, sleep, and psilocybin/escitalopram comparisons, making her part of the team contributing to the modern evidence base for psychedelic medicine.
Hartej Gill
Researcher in mood disorders psychopharmacology at the University of Toronto / University Health Network
Notable for coauthoring multiple reviews and meta-analyses on ketamine, esketamine, suicidality, cognition, and psychedelic drug trials in psychiatric research.
Eduardo Schenberg
Neuroscientist and founder/director of Instituto Phaneros
A leading Brazilian psychedelic researcher known for clinical and translational work on ayahuasca, ibogaine, MDMA, and ethics/policy in psychedelic medicine.
Jeanine Kamphuis
Psychiatrist and researcher at the Department for Mood Disorders, University Hospital Groningen (UMCG)
She studies ketamine, esketamine, and classic psychedelics for treatment-resistant psychiatric disorders, including depression, and is a coauthor on multiple psychedelic/ketamine reviews and clinical studies.
Henrik Jungaberle
Dr. sc. hum., CEO and founder of the MIND Foundation; Head of Development at OVID Clinic Berlin
He is a prominent European psychedelic research and implementation figure contributing to psilocybin clinical trials, harm reduction, and healthcare integration work.
Joost Breeksema
Postdoctoral researcher and Executive Director of the OPEN Foundation
He is a prominent psychedelic researcher and advocate whose work helps shape evidence-based psychedelic policy, ethics, and patient-centered understanding of psychedelic and ketamine/esketamine treatments.
Mathieu Seynaeve
Senior Medical Director and Head of Psychotherapy at Beckley Psytech
He is a clinical development leader behind multiple human studies of 5-MeO-DMT and psilocybin, including trials in alcohol use disorder, treatment-resistant depression, and headache disorders.
Kayla Teopiz
Researcher in psychiatry and ketamine/psychedelic medicine research; likely affiliated with the University of Toronto/Trillium Health Partners research network
Teopiz coauthors multiple systematic reviews and clinical studies on ketamine, esketamine, and psilocybin in depression and suicidality, helping synthesize the evidence base for psychedelic and glutamatergic treatments in psychiatry.
Philippe Lucas
Director, Research and Safe Access at MAPS
He is a prominent Canadian psychedelic and cannabis researcher whose work has helped establish early evidence on ayahuasca-assisted therapy, psychedelic survey research, and harm-reduction policy.
Joshua Di Vincenzo
MSc researcher / clinical research staff member at the University Health Network and University of Toronto
He coauthors multiple systematic reviews and real-world studies on ketamine for treatment-resistant depression, making him a visible contributor to the evidence base on psychedelic-adjacent psychiatric therapeutics.
John Kelly
Associate Professor / Consultant General Psychiatrist at Trinity College Dublin
John R. Kelly is a leading academic psychiatrist in Ireland whose work has helped shape modern psychedelic psychiatry, including psilocybin research across depression, service-user attitudes, and transdiagnostic treatment frameworks.
Yvan Beaussant
Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School and palliative care physician at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
He is a leading clinical researcher in psychedelic-assisted therapy for serious illness, especially cancer-related depression, demoralization, and existential distress.
Connected Evidence
The latest clinical data and verified academic findings associated with Suicidality.