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- Psychedelic Journal Watch
Psychedelic Journal Watch
Keeping health professionals abreast of the latest research in psychedelic medicine
I. Psychedelics Increase Empathy
Classic psychedelics increase the emotional elements of empathy, according to Scientific Reports.
In this meta-analysis of 5 studies including 158 participants, emotional and cognitive empathy were measured before and after classic psychedelic use (LSD, psilocybin, ayahuasca, etc), using the multifaceted empathy test (MET).
Classic psychedelic use significantly enhanced emotional empathy but did not have an effect on cognitive empathy.
According to the authors, “continued research on the effects of classical psychedelics on empathy is necessary for understanding their … therapeutic applications in fostering empathy and promoting prosocial behavior.”
II. Psilocybin for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
Psilocybin significantly reduces depressive symptoms, according to the Journal of Psychopharmacology.
In this systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, the effect size of psilocybin for treatment of MDD was measured.
There was a large and clinically significant reduction in depressive symptoms in patients receiving psilocybin in combination with psychotherapy compared to patients receiving placebo in combination with psychotherapy.
According to the authors, this study, “substantiates the claim that psilocybin is superior in treating depression compared to established psychotherapy alone.”
III. Do Antidepressants Affect Psilocybin Treatment?
Psilocybin treatment does not appear to be affected by antidepressant drug discontinuation, according to the Journal of Psychiatric Research.
In this post-hoc analysis of a phase II randomized controlled trial of 233 participants, funded and performed by Compass Pathways, data from participants who discontinued an antidepressant prior to psilocybin treatment were compared to participants who were not on an antidepressant prior to psilocybin treatment.
The efficacy of psilocybin treatment and the subjective psilocybin experience do not appear to be affected by discontinuation of an antidepressant prior to treatment.
According to the authors, “overall, the lack of substantial difference in outcomes for participants who recently discontinued antidepressant medications suggests that this is not a factor that compromises the mechanism of psilocybin treatment.”
In the late 1950s, Humphry Osmond, the psychiatrist who coined the term “psychedelic,” conducted a study on LSD for treatment of alcoholism. One of Osmond’s patients during this time was Bill W., co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous.
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