Protocols and practices in psilocybin assisted psychotherapy for depression: A systematic review

Summary & key facts

Researchers looked at published studies of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for people with depression to see how treatments were actually done. They found the way psilocybin was given, the type and amount of psychological support, and safety checks differed a lot from study to study. Reporting was often missing or unclear on things like therapist training, how side effects were tracked, and who was allowed into the studies. Because of these gaps and the small, narrowly chosen groups in most studies, the authors say we need clearer, more consistent methods and better reporting before psilocybin therapy can be widely compared or safely scaled up.

Key facts:

• The paper reviewed published clinical studies and reports about using psilocybin together with psychotherapy to treat depression.
• Researchers found big differences between studies in how much psilocybin people got, how many treatment sessions they had, and what kind of psychological support was provided.
• Many reports did not clearly describe important details such as how therapists were trained, how side effects were monitored, or how participants were prepared and helped afterwards.
• Most studies involved small numbers of people and often excluded people with conditions like psychosis or bipolar disorder, which limits how well the results apply to many patients.
• Because methods and reporting varied so much, the authors recommend developing clearer, more consistent treatment procedures and better safety and outcome reporting in future research.

Topics

Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis Pain Management and Placebo Effect Psychedelics and Drug Studies

Categories

Clinical Psychology Psychology Social Sciences

Tags

Clinical psychology Depression (economics) Economics Hallucinogen Macroeconomics Psilocybin Psychiatry Psychology Psychotherapist

Substances

Psilocybin

Conditions & symptoms

Depression Sadness or low mood