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12 papers
Research on ketamine for anxiety is early but shows some promising signs. A small number of clinical trials report that ketamine can reduce anxiety symptoms for some people, sometimes for weeks after treatment. However, the studies are few, varied in how they were done, and often small, so we do not yet have strong, clear proof. Scientists have ideas about how ketamine may work. It acts on the brain’s glutamate system and seems to change how brain circuits connect and adapt. But measurements like blood BDNF (a protein linked to brain change) do not show a clear pattern after these drugs, so the biological story is still incomplete. Safety and the role of therapy around the drug are important topics that need more study.
This review looked at many studies about classic psychedelics (like psilocybin and LSD), MDMA, ketamine, and plant medicines (like ayahuasca). The authors explain how these drugs can change the brain’s wiring, calm inflammatory processes, and shift key brain chemicals. Those actions may help explain why small clinical trials and animal…
Researchers collected and read 15 studies where patients described their own experiences with psychedelic treatments for mental disorders. These studies looked at about 180 patient accounts across different drugs and different illnesses. Even though the drugs and treatment settings were very different, many patients described similar helpful processes, such as…
Researchers around the world have started clinical studies again to see if psychedelic drugs can help treat serious mental health problems. This work picks up after research that stopped around the 1950s. Scientists are running controlled studies to test whether these substances can safely reduce problems like depression, anxiety, addiction…
This review explains the fast-growing problem of so-called "legal highs", which are better called novel psychoactive substances or NPS. Unknown labs keep making slightly different chemicals to avoid bans, and this led to about 80 new substances being spotted in one year. The paper groups these drugs into five main…
This paper looked at 20 clinical trials to see whether therapies that use psychedelic drugs together with talking therapy can help people who have serious, life‑limiting illnesses. The review found that these therapies often helped with psychological and spiritual problems like anxiety, low mood, and fear of dying. The drugs…
This article is a broad review of the new psychedelic industry. The authors look at how psychedelic drugs and clinics moved from decades-old research into a fast-growing business with hundreds of companies and big investment. They describe what companies are trying to sell, point out major scientific, legal, and ethical…
This review looks at recent research where drugs like MDMA and psilocybin are given inside carefully run therapy programs. People get hours of preparation, one or more drug sessions, and several follow-up therapy sessions to help make sense of the experience. Trials so far show big improvements for some people…
This review describes a rapid rise in medical research on psychedelic drugs over the past five years. Several later-stage clinical trials have been published, and many different drugs — including psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine, LSD, ayahuasca, and ibogaine — are being tested for conditions such as depression, post‑traumatic stress, addiction, obsessive‑compulsive…
The authors reviewed 83 papers and guides about how therapists prepare people for substance-assisted psychotherapy — therapy that uses drugs like psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, or ketamine together with psychological support. They found clear agreement that good preparation before a drug session is important for safety and for helping people get…
Researchers reviewed published clinical trials testing psychedelic drugs for people diagnosed with anxiety disorders. They found nine trials that used ayahuasca, ketamine, LSD, MDMA, or psilocybin. Overall, the studies showed reduced anxiety symptoms and better self-image or social functioning for people with generalized anxiety, social anxiety, or anxiety linked to…
This paper reviews how scientists have tried to sort and name altered states of consciousness—short, noticeable changes in how you feel and think compared to normal waking life. The authors group past systems into three types: ones that classify by what the experience feels like, ones that classify by how…
Researchers pooled results from 29 human studies that measured blood levels of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, after people received so-called psychoplastogen drugs such as ketamine or psychedelics. They found no clear change in blood BDNF after these drugs. The authors say this does not prove the…
