Gwen Erlam

Effectiveness of psilocybin on depression: a qualitative study

• Authors Details :  
• Redhwan Ahmed Al-naggar,  
• Hisham Alshaikhli,  
• Gwen Erlam

Journal title : Electronic Journal of General Medicine

Publisher : Modestum Publishing Ltd

Online ISSN : 2516-3507

Page Number : em296

Journal volume : 18

Journal issue : 3

1.2K Views Research reports

Introduction: Psilocybin mushroom use is well documented in spiritual and religious ceremonies globally. This drug is now the most popular in Europe and the USA. Objective: The objective of this study is to explore the experiences and effects of psilocybin on patients with depression and anxiety. Method: A qualitative study was conducted interviewing ten participants currently taking psilocybin while experiencing depression and/or anxiety. Ethical approval was obtained from the University ethics committee. Participants were recruited via social media and groups are known to have used psilocybin for the treatment of anxiety and/or depression. Participants were informed of study aims and consent was obtained before interviews commenced. Confidentiality was maintained throughout this study. Interviews began with informing participants that psilocybin may be effective in the management of depression. Initially, information around the way treatment with psilocybin was obtained was sought. This was followed by queries around the effects of the drug in terms of experiences both during and after treatment. Finally, participants were asked to outline the positive effects of psilocybin on their lives. Results: The data were thematically coded using Grounded Theory as an underpinning philosophical paradigm. Emerging themes included enhancement of smell, vision, hearing, and taste sensations. Another theme emerging was the experience of being ‘connected with the universe’ while on the drug. Additionally, participants reported a stabilization of mood, an increase in optimism and emotional control, and a healthier emotional connection with others. Most also felt an increase in comfort, peace and calmness. Another theme that emerged centered on the mechanism of action of psilocybin. Participants stated that this substance seemed to ‘make new connections in their brain,’ resulting in new perspectives. Some participants felt this resulted in a calming influence on the mind and body. This aligns with research showing that psilocybin works by changing the thinking and improving information processing. Conclusion: Psilocybin has promising effects on the patients with depression/anxiety even after a single dose. Psilocybin is safe but the administration should be guided by a health professional to yield safe and positive outcomes.

Article DOI & Crossmark Data

DOI : https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/10862

Article Subject Details

• Clinical pharmacology
• Mental health nursing

Article Keywords Details

• depresseion
• qualitative mushroom
• Psilocybin
• Qualitative

Article File

Full Text PDF

---

---

Article References

• (1). Carhart-Harris R, Nutt D. Serotonin and brain function: a tale of two receptors. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2017;31(9):1091-120. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881117725915 PMid:28858536 PMCid:PMC5606297
• (2). Hofmann A, Heim R, Brack A, Kobel H. Psilocybin, a psychotropic substance from the Mexican mushroom Psilicybe mexicana Heim. Experientia, 1958;14(3):107. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02159243 PMid:13537892
• (3). Germann CB. The Psilocybin-Telomere Hypothesis: An empirically falsifiable prediction concerning the beneficial neuropsychopharmacological effects of psilocybin on genetic aging. Medical hypotheses, 2020;134:109406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2019.109406 PMid:31634774
• (4). Germann CB. 5-methoxy-N, N-dimethyltryptamine: An ego-dissolving endogenous neurochemical catalyst of creativity. Activitas Nervosa Superior, 2019;61(4):170-216. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41470-019-00063-y
• (5). Nichols DE. Psychedelics. Pharmacological reviews, 2016;68(2):264-355. https://doi.org/10.1124/pr.115.011478 PMid:26841800 PMCid:PMC4813425
• (6). Halberstadt AL. Recent advances in the neuropsychopharmacology of serotonergic hallucinogens. Behavioural brain research, 2015;277:99-120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2014.07.016 PMid:25036425 PMCid:PMC4642895
• (7). Vollenweider FX, Vollenweider-Scherpenhuyzen MFI, Bäbler A, Vogel H, Hell D. Psilocybin induces schizophrenia-like psychosis in humans via a serotonin-2 agonist action. Neuroreport, 1998;9(17):3897-902. https://doi.org/10.1097/00001756-199812010-00024 PMid:9875725
• (8). Van Amsterdam J. Opperhuizen A, van den Brink W. Harm potential of magic mushroom use: a review. Regulatory toxicology and pharmacology, 2011;59(3):423-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yrtph.2011.01.006 PMid:21256914
• (9). Krebs TS, Johansen P-Ø. Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) for alcoholism: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 2012;26(7):994-1002. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881112439253 PMid: 22406913
• (10). Griffiths RR, Johnson MW, Richards WA, Richard BD, McCann U, Jesse R. Psilocybin occasioned mystical-type experiences: immediate and persisting dose-related effects. Psychopharmacology, 2011;218(4):649-65. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-011-2358-5 PMid:21674151 PMCid:PMC3308357
• (11). Gasser P, Holstein D, Michel Y, Doblin R, Yazar-Klosinski B, Passie T, Brenneisen R. Safety and efficacy of lysergic acid diethylamide-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety associated with life-threatening diseases. The Journal of nervous and mental disease, 2014;202(7):513. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0000000000000113 PMid:24594678 PMCid:PMC4086777
• (12). Sanches RF, de Lima Osório F, dos Santos R, Macedo LRH, Maia-de-Oliveira JP, et al. Antidepressant effects of a single dose of ayahuasca in patients with recurrent depression: a SPECT study. Journal of clinical psychopharmacology, 2016;36(1):77-81. https://doi.org/10.1097/JCP.0000000000000436 PMid:26650973
• (13). Osório FdL, Sanches RF, Macedo LR, dos Santos RG, Maia-de-Oliveira JP, et al. Antidepressant effects of a single dose of ayahuasca in patients with recurrent depression: a preliminary report. Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry, 2015;37(1):13-20. https://doi.org/10.1590/1516-4446-2014-1496 PMid:25806551
• (14). Johnson MW, Garcia-Romeu A, Cosimano MP, Griffiths RR. Pilot study of the 5-HT2AR agonist psilocybin in the treatment of tobacco addiction. Journal of psychopharmacology, 2014;28(11):983-92. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881114548296 PMid:25213996 PMCid: PMC4286320
• (15). Bogenschutz MP, Forcehimes AA, Pommy JA, Wilcox CE, Barbosa PCR, Strassman RJ. Psilocybin-assisted treatment for alcohol dependence: a proof-of-concept study. Journal of psychopharmacology, 2015;29(3):289-99. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881114565144 PMid:25586396
• (16). CarhartHarris RL, Kaelen M, Bolstridge M, Williams TM, Williams LT, Underwood R, Feilding A, Nutt DJ. The paradoxical psychological effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Psychological medicine, 2016;46(7):1379-90. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291715002901 PMid:26847689
• (17). Ross S, Bossis A, Guss J, Agin-Liebes G, Malone T, et al. Rapid and sustained symptom reduction following psilocybin treatment for anxiety and depression in patients with life-threatening cancer: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of psychopharmacology, 2016;30(12):1165-80. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881116675512 PMid:27909164 PMCid:PMC5367551
• (18). Grob CS, Danford AL, Chopra GS, Hagerty M, McKay CR, et al. Pilot study of psilocybin treatment for anxiety in patients with advanced-stage cancer. Archives of general psychiatry, 2011;68(1):71-8. https://doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2010.116 PMid:20819978
• (19). Griffiths RR, Johnson MW, Carducci MA, Umbricht A, Richards WA, et al. Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial. Journal of psychopharmacology, 2016;30(12):1181-97. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881116675513 PMid: 27909165 PMCid:PMC5367557
• (20). Moreno FA, Wiegand CB, Keolani Taitano E, Delgado PL. Safety, tolerability, and efficacy of psilocybin in 9 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2006;67(11):1735-40. https://doi.org/10.4088/JCP.v67n1110 PMid:17196053
• (21). Belser AB, Agin-Liebes G, Swift C, Terrana S, et al. Patient experiences of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy: an interpretative phenomenological analysis. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 2017;57(4):354-88. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022167817706884
• (22). Passie T, Seifert J, Schneider U, Emrich HM. The pharmacology of psilocybin. Addiction biology, 2002;7(4):357-64. https://doi.org/10.1080/1355621021000005937 PMid:14578010
• (23). Studerus E, Kometer M, Hasler F, Vollenweider FX. Acute, subacute and long-term subjective effects of psilocybin in healthy humans: a pooled analysis of experimental studies. Journal of psychopharmacology, 2011;25(11):1434-52. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881110382466 PMid:20855349
• (24). Brown RT, Nicholas CR, Cozzi NV, Gassman MC, Cooper KM, et al. Pharmacokinetics of escalating doses of oral psilocybin in healthy adults. Clinical pharmacokinetics, 2017;56(12):1543-54. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40262-017-0540-6 PMid:28353056
• (25). Zhuo C, Ji F, Tian H, Wang L, Jia F, et al. Transient effects of multi?infusion ketamine augmentation on treatment?resistant depressive symptoms in patients with treatment?resistant bipolar depression–An open?label three?week pilot study. Brain and Behavior, 2020;10(8):e01674. https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.1674
• (26). Farzin D, Mansouri N. Antidepressant-like effect of harmane and other ?-carbolines in the mouse forced swim test. European neuropsychopharmacology, 2006;16(5):324-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2005.08.005 PMid:16183262
• (27). Fortunato JJ, Reus GZ, Kirsch TR, Stringari RB, Fries GR, Kapczinki F, et al. Effects of ?-carboline harmine on behavioral and physiological parameters observed in the chronic mild stress model: Further evidence of antidepressant properties. Brain research bulletin, 2010;81(4-5):491-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresbull.2009.09.008 PMid:19772900
• (28). Santos RG, Landeira-Fernandez J, Strassman RJ, Cruz APM. Effects of ayahuasca on psychometric measures of anxiety, panic-like and hopelessness in Santo Daime members. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 2007;112(3):507-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2007.04.012 PMid:17532158
• (29). Fortunato JJ, Reus GZ, Kirsch TR, Stringari RB, Stertz L, et al. Acute harmine administration induces antidepressive-like effects and increases BDNF levels in the rat hippocampus. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 2009;33(8):1425-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2009.07.021 PMid:19632287
• (30). Hilber P, Chapillon P. Effects of harmaline on anxiety-related behavior in mice. Physiology & behavior, 2005;86(1-2):164-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2005.07.006 PMid:16112150
• (31). Riba J, Rodriguez-Fornells A, Urbano G, Morte A, Antonijoan R, et al. Subjective effects and tolerability of the South American psychoactive beverage Ayahuasca in healthy volunteers. Psychopharmacology, 2001;154(1):85-95. https://doi.org/10.1007/s002130000606 PMid:11292011
• (32). Griffiths RR, Richards WA, Johnson MW, McCann UD, Jesse R. Mystical-type experiences occasioned by psilocybin mediate the attribution of personal meaning and spiritual significance 14 months later. Journal of psychopharmacology, 2008;22(6):621-32. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881108094300 PMid:18593735 PMCid: PMC3050654
• (33). Ostuzzi G, Matcham F, Dauchy S, Barbui C, Hotopf M. Antidepressants for the treatment of depression in people with cancer. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2018;(4). https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD011006.pub3 PMid:29683474 PMCid:PMC6494588
• (34). Palhano-Fontes F, Barreto D, Onias H, Andrade KC, Novaes MM, Pessoa JA, et al. Rapid antidepressant effects of the psychedelic ayahuasca in treatment-resistant depression: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Psychological medicine, 2019;49(4):655-63. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291718001356 PMid:29903051 PMCid:PMC6378413
• (35). Carhart-Harris RL. Serotonin, psychedelics and psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 2018;17(3):358. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20555 PMid:30192100 PMCid:PMC6127802
• (36). Muttoni S, Ardissino M, John C. Classical psychedelics for the treatment of depression and anxiety: a systematic review. Journal of affective disorders, 2019;258:11-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2019.07.076 PMid:31382100
• (37). Barbosa PCR, Mizumoto S, Bogenschutz MP, Strassman RJ. Health status of ayahuasca users. Drug testing and analysis, 2012;4(7-8):601-9. https://doi.org/10.1002/dta.1383 PMid:22761152
• (38). Nichols DE, Johnson MW, Nichols CD. Psychedelics as medicines: an emerging new paradigm. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 2017;101(2):209-19. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpt.557 PMid:28019026
• (39). Li X, Meng H, Fu Y, Du L, Qiu H, et al. The impact of whole brain global functional connectivity density following MECT in major depression: a follow-up study. Frontiers in psychiatry, 2019;10:7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00007 PMid:30890964 PMCid:PMC6413803
• (40). Shore RJ, Loudovski P, McKeown S, Dumont E, Goldie C. Mapping Psilocybin-Assisted Therapies: A Scoping Review. medRxiv, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1101/2019.12.04.19013896
• (41). Johnson MW, Richards WA, Griffiths RR. Human hallucinogen research: guidelines for safety. Journal of psychopharmacology, 2008;22(6):603-20. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881108093587 PMid:18593734 PMCid: PMC3056407
• (42). Oram M. Efficacy and enlightenment: LSD psychotherapy and the drug amendments of 1962. Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, 2014;69(2):221-50. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhmas/jrs050 PMid:22898355
• (43). Carhart-Harris RL, Erritzoe D, Williams T, Stone JM, Reed LJ, Colasanti A, et al. Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012;109(6):2138-43. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1119598109 PMid:22308440 PMCid:PMC3277566
• (44). Vollenweider FX, Kometer M. The neurobiology of psychedelic drugs: implications for the treatment of mood disorders. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2010;11(9):642. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2884
• (45). Carhart-Harris RL, Leech R, Hellyer PJ, Shanahan M, Feilding A, et al. The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 2014;8:20. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2014.00020 PMid:24550805 PMCid:PMC3909994
• (46). Ly C, Greb AC, Cameron LP, Wong JM, Barragan EV, et al. Psychedelics promote structural and functional neural plasticity. Cell reports, 2018;23(11):3170-82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2018.05.022 PMid:29898390 PMCid:PMC6082376
• (47). Flanagan TW, Nichols CD. Psychedelics as anti-inflammatory agents. International Review of Psychiatry, 2018;30(4):363-75. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540261.2018.1481827 PMid:30102081
• (48). Griffiths RR, Richards WA, McCann U, Jesse R. Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance. Psychopharmacology, 2006;187(3):268-83. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-006-0457-5 PMid:16826400
• (49). Malone TC, Mennenga SE, Guss J, Podrebarac SK, Owens LT, et al. Individual experiences in four cancer patients following psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy. Frontiers in pharmacology, 2018;9:256. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2018.00256 PMid:29666578 PMCid:PMC5891594
• (50). Carhart-Harris R, Bolstridge M, Day CMJ, Rucker J, Watts R, et al. Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: six-month follow-up. Psychopharmacology, 2018;235(2):399-408. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-017-4771-x PMid:29119217 PMCid: PMC5813086
• (51). Nutt DJ, King LA, Phillips LD. Drug harms in the UK: a multicriteria decision analysis. The Lancet, 2010;376(9752):1558-65. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61462-6
• (52). Schenberg EE, Alexandre JFM, Filev R, Cravo AM, Sato JR, et al. Acute biphasic effects of ayahuasca. PloS one, 2015;10(9):e0137202. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0137202 PMid:26421727 PMCid:PMC4589238

---

More Article by Gwen Erlam