Rapid and sustained symptom reduction following psilocybin treatment for anxiety and depression in patients with life-threatening cancer: a randomized controlled trial

By Stephen Ross, Anthony P. Bossis, Jeffrey R. Guss, Gabrielle Agin-Liebes, T. Malone, Barry H Cohen, S. Mennenga, Alexander B. Belser, K. Kalliontzi, J. Babb and 3 more. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2016

1,436 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Background: Clinically significant anxiety and depression are common in patients with cancer, and are associated with poor psychiatric and medical outcomes. Historical and recent research suggests a role for psilocybin to treat cancer-related anxiety and depression. Methods: In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial, 29 patients with cancer-related anxiety and depression were randomly assigned and received treatment with single-dose psilocybin (0.3 mg/kg) or niacin, both in conjunction with psychotherapy. The primary outcomes were anxiety and depression assessed between groups prior to the crossover at 7 weeks. Results: Prior to the crossover, psilocybin produced immediate, substantial, and sustained improvements in anxiety and depression and led to decreases in cancer-related demoralization and hopelessness, improved spiritual wellbeing, and increased quality of life. At the 6.5-month follow-up, psilocybin was associated with enduring anxiolytic and anti-depressant effects (approximately 60–80% of participants continued with clinically significant reductions in depression or anxiety), sustained benefits in existential distress and quality of life, as well as improved attitudes towards death. The psilocybin-induced mystical experience mediated the therapeutic effect of psilocybin on anxiety and depression. Conclusions: In conjunction with psychotherapy, single moderate-dose psilocybin produced rapid, robust and enduring anxiolytic and anti-depressant effects in patients with cancer-related psychological distress. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00957359

Subfields: Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Pharmacology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/1129a840891b76fb9022b6e91d1e1f4d2dafcb04

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Karl J. Friston

Citations in the corpus

Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: six-month follow-up (2017, background): “Recent studies (Griffiths et al. 2016; Ross et al. 2016; Carhart-Harris et al. 2016), including the present one, help demonstrate the feasibility of treating patients with major depressive disorder with psilocybin plus psychological support.”
Developing Guidelines and Competencies for the Training of Psychedelic Therapists (2017, background): “In a related study Ross et al. (2016) measured the effects of psilocybinassisted therapy for 29 patients with cancer-related psychological distress on pain perception, depression, anxiety, existential/psychospiritual distress, quality of life, and spiritual/mystical states of consciousness.”
REBUS and the Anarchic Brain: Toward a Unified Model of the Brain Action of Psychedelics (2019, result): “…et al., 2011; Gasser et al., 2014; Bogenschutz et al., 2015; Osório Fde et al., 2015; Carhart-Harris et al., 2016a, 2018a; Griffiths et al., 2016; Ross et al., 2016; Palhano-Fontes et al., 2019), in addition to population studies (Krebs and Johansen, 2013; Hendricks et al., 2015), controlled…”
Rapid antidepressant effects of the psychedelic ayahuasca in treatment-resistant depression: a randomized placebo-controlled trial (2018, background): “Prior studies suggest that elements of the psychedelic experience, such as experiences of mystical-type, account for the therapeutic benefit (Bogenschutz et al., 2015; Garcia-Romeu et al., 2015; Majić et al., 2015; Griffiths et al., 2016; Ross et al., 2016).”
Patients’ Accounts of Increased “Connectedness” and “Acceptance” After Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression (2017, neutral): “The traditional psychological/psychotherapeutic approach used in this trial and similar previous trials (e.g., Griffiths et al., 2016; Ross et al., 2016) is often somewhat of a composite of approaches, tailored (it is assumed) to the idiosyncratic nature of the psychedelic experience (Grof, 1980;…”
The Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelic Drugs: Past, Present, and Future (2017, background): “Ross et al (2016) suggested that a domain of distress they call existential/spiritual well being is particularly relevant to depression in cancer while Griffith et al (2016) emphasize that evidence for efficacy of conventional medication or psychotherapy is poor or even negative.”
Serotonin and brain function: a tale of two receptors (2017, background): “, 2013) and clinical trials (Bogenschutz et al., 2015; Carhart-Harris et al., 2016a; Gasser et al., 2014; Griffiths et al., 2016; Grob et al., 2011; Mithoefer et al., 2011; Ross et al., 2016; Sanches et al., 2016) – see Carhart-Harris and Goodwin (2017) for a review.”
Quality of Acute Psychedelic Experience Predicts Therapeutic Efficacy of Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression (2018, background): “Both the MEQ and M scale have been found to be predictive of long-term positive therapeutic outcomes in trials of psilocybin for cancerrelated distress (Griffiths et al., 2016; Ross et al., 2016), tobacco smoking (Garcia-Romeu et al.”