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Frontier mental health research: psychedelics & drug studies

Each month our editorial team sifts through hundreds of papers and curates notable findings—for practitioners and informed readers who want to stay current with the evidence. Subscribe to the monthly Research Digest for expert analysis and concise summaries of key papers.

Chemical synthesis and alkaloids MEDLINE

9 papers

Psychedelic Treatments for Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis of Patient Experiences in Qualitative Studies

Joost J. Breeksema, Alistair Niemeijer, Erwin Krediet, Eric Vermetten, Robert A. Schoevers
CNS Drugs Summary & key facts 2020 207 citations

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…

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

Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy—A Systematic Review of Associated Psychological Interventions

Cavarra, Mauro, Falzone, Alessandra, Ramaekers, Johannes G., et al.
www.frontiersin.org Summary & key facts 2022 122 citations

This systematic review looked at clinical studies that paired psychedelics with a structured psychotherapy. It found that psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy can give promising results across many clinical conditions when given to carefully screened people in controlled settings, but some patients relapse or do not respond. The review highlights that individual and…

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

Therapeutic effect of psilocybin in addiction: A systematic review

van der Meer, Pim B., Fuentes, Juan J., Kaptein, Ad A., et al.
www.frontiersin.org Summary & key facts 2023 111 citations

This systematic review searched for clinical trials of psilocybin for substance use problems up to September 2, 2022. The authors found four trials with 151 patients that tested psilocybin combined with psychotherapy for alcohol or tobacco use. These small trials, including one randomized placebo-controlled trial, reported reductions in heavy drinking…

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

The acute effects of classic psychedelics on memory in humans

C. J. Healy
Psychopharmacology Summary & key facts 2021 91 citations

This 2021 review of human studies found that classic psychedelics (for example psilocybin, LSD, ayahuasca) tend to reduce performance on standard memory tests in a dose-dependent way: low doses usually showed no impairment and higher doses caused more impairment. At the same time, these drugs often made autobiographical memories feel…

Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques Chemical synthesis and alkaloids Psychedelics and Drug Studies

The Therapeutic Potential of Psychedelic-assisted Therapies for Symptom Control in Patients Diagnosed With Serious Illness: A Systematic Review

Lucas Oliveira Maia, Yvan Beaussant, Ana Cláudia Mesquita Garcia
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management Summary & key facts 2022 55 citations

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…

Chemical synthesis and alkaloids Complementary and Alternative Medicine Studies Psychedelics and Drug Studies Ketamine LSD

Therapeutic (Sub)stance: Current practice and therapeutic conduct in preparatory sessions in substance-assisted psychotherapy—A systematized review

Sascha Thal, Michelle Wieberneit, Jason M. Sharbanee, Petra Skeffington, Paris Baker, Raimondo Bruno, et al.
Journal of Psychopharmacology Summary & key facts 2022 23 citations

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…

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

Therapeutic frameworks in integration sessions in substance-assisted psychotherapy: A systematised review

Sascha Thal, Paris Baker, Jonathon Marinis, Michelle Wieberneit, Jason M. Sharbanee, Raimundo Bruno, et al.
PubMed Summary & key facts 2023 19 citations

This review looked at how therapists help people integrate insights after taking serotonergic psychedelics or entactogens in therapy. The authors searched PsycINFO, MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library and included 75 sources up to 11 November 2022. They found that studies use many different therapy styles—most from the humanistic–experiential tradition—but there…

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

Modern Psychedelic Microdosing Research on Mental Health

David F. Lo, Hasan Zia, Pranetha Rajkumar, Adarsh Thakur, Heather O’Donnell
The Primary Care Companion For CNS Disorders Summary & key facts 2024 6 citations

This systematic review looked at research on psychedelic microdosing and mental health. It found 19 studies (published from 2018 onward) that reported people often said low doses of LSD or psilocybin improved mood, focus, and daily functioning, while some people reported physical discomfort or more anxiety. The authors say the…

Chemical synthesis and alkaloids Psychedelics and Drug Studies Tryptophan and brain disorders

Psychedelic therapy and postpartum depression: priorities and prospects

Guillaume Thuery, Frank Crossen, Daniel Mc Loone, Catherine Hinds, R. T. Duffy, Chaitra Jairaj, et al.
Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology Summary & key facts 2026 0 citations

This paper is a review that looks at whether drugs called serotonergic psychedelics might help with postpartum depression, which affects about 15% of women after pregnancy. The authors bring together what we know about the body systems linked to postpartum depression and how these psychedelics can affect those systems and…

Alkaloids: synthesis and pharmacology Chemical synthesis and alkaloids Psychedelics and Drug Studies Psilocybin
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