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4 papers
Research on treating depression is moving fast. Right now the clearest clinical evidence is for ketamine and its FDA‑approved form esketamine, which can lift symptoms quickly but often only for days or weeks. Classic psychedelics like psilocybin, and related compounds such as DMT and 5‑MeO‑DMT, show strong early promise when given with psychotherapy. However, most psychedelic studies are still small or early‑stage and need larger, well‑controlled trials. Other approaches are being tested too. MDMA‑assisted therapy has strong, growing evidence for post‑traumatic stress disorder and can also reduce some depressive symptoms, but some pooled reports have been retracted and long‑term safety and broad applicability need more study. Brain‑stimulation methods (deep brain stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation) and combined treatments (for example ketamine plus TMS) show mixed or preliminary results. Across all these lines of research, the therapy, setting, and careful medical oversight matter. Studies also often lack diversity and long‑term follow‑up, so we cannot assume the results apply to everyone yet.
This paper describes psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, which means giving drugs like ketamine, MDMA, psilocybin, LSD or ibogaine together with guided therapy. The authors say this approach has shown promising safety and benefits so far, even for people who did not get better with usual treatments. They also argue that these therapies…
Major depressive disorder is a serious illness. Researchers reviewed how ketamine — a drug that blocks a brain receptor called the NMDA receptor — can lift depression symptoms quickly and for a sustained time in people and in animals. They describe possible ways ketamine works: it may boost another type…
This paper is a review of recent research on psychedelic drugs. The authors say some clinical trials show these drugs can help people with post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse problems, and depression that has not improved with other treatments. But scientists do not yet understand all the biological ways these…
This paper reviews research on three naturally occurring psychedelics: psilocybin, ibogaine, and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (the active part of the brew ayahuasca). It explains that these drugs work on the brain's serotonin system and summarizes growing studies that suggest they might help with problems like post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, anxiety, and…
