Psilocybin as a New Approach to Treat Depression and Anxiety in the Context of Life-Threatening Diseases—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials

Summary & key facts

Researchers looked at clinical trials that tested psilocybin, a psychedelic substance, for treating depression and anxiety in people facing life-threatening illnesses. They combined results from the trials and found that, on average, people given psilocybin scored lower on standard depression and anxiety questionnaires than people in control groups. The authors called the results promising but noted that the evidence comes from a small number of people and that more research is needed before drawing firm conclusions.

Key facts:

• The researchers collected and combined results from clinical trials that gave psilocybin to people with depression or anxiety linked to life-threatening disease.
• Depression was measured with a standard questionnaire called the Beck Depression Inventory. Across the trials, about 90 people contributed data. People who received psilocybin scored about 5 points lower on that questionnaire than control g
• Trait anxiety, which is a measure of how anxious someone generally feels, was measured with a standard questionnaire called the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. About 90 people contributed to this measure. People given psilocybin scored about
• State anxiety, which is a measure of how anxious someone feels at a given moment, was measured in about 40 people. Those given psilocybin scored about 6 points lower on that questionnaire than controls.
• The differences in these scores were reported as statistically significant, which means the results were unlikely to be due to chance in these studies.
• The authors describe the results as promising and note that psilocybin appeared safe in these trials, but they also say the total number of people studied was small and that more research is needed to confirm the findings.

Abstract

Psilocybin is a naturally occurring tryptamine known for its psychedelic properties. Recent research indicates that psilocybin may constitute a valid approach to treat depression and anxiety associated to life-threatening diseases. The aim of this work was to perform a systematic review with meta-analysis of clinical trials to assess the therapeutic effects and safety of psilocybin on those medical conditions. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used to measure the effects in depression and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was used to measure the effects in anxiety. For BDI, 11 effect sizes were considered (92 patients) and the intervention group was significantly favored (WMD = -4.589; 95% CI = -4.207 to -0.971; p-value = 0.002). For STAI-Trait, 11 effect sizes were considered (92 patients), being the intervention group significantly favored when compared to the control group (WMD = -5.906; 95% CI = -7.852 to -3.960; p-value ˂ 0.001). For STAI-State, 9 effect sizes were considered (41 patients) and the intervention group was significantly favored (WMD = -6.032; 95% CI = -8.900 to -3.164; p-value ˂ 0.001). The obtained results are promising and emphasize the importance of psilocybin translational research in the management of symptoms of depression and anxiety, since the compound may be effective in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety in conditions that are either resistant to conventional pharmacotherapy or for which pharmacologic treatment is not yet approved. Moreover, it may be also relevant for first-line treatment, given its safety.

Topics

Chemical synthesis and alkaloids Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior Psychedelics and Drug Studies

Categories

Clinical Psychology Psychology Social Sciences

Tags

Anxiety Beck Depression Inventory Biology Clinical psychology Context (archaeology) Depression (economics) Economics Hallucinogen Internal medicine Intervention (counseling) Macroeconomics Medicine Meta-analysis Paleontology Psilocybin Psychiatry Psychology Randomized controlled trial

Substances

Psilocybin

Conditions & symptoms

Anxiety Depression Anxiety or worry Sadness or low mood