The safety of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy: A systematic review.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to collate and evaluate adverse event data from psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy clinical trials, focusing on definition, measurement, and reporting methods.
Results Summary
The review found that psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy was generally safe, with common adverse events including elevated blood pressure, headaches, nausea, and anxiety. Suicidal ideation and behavior were rare and mainly observed in participants with a history of such tendencies.
Population
Clinical populations, particularly those with treatment-resistant depression.
Effective Dosage
Heterogeneous doses (specific amounts not detailed in the abstract).
Duration
Not specified in the abstract.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy | no change | physical and psychological adverse events during and after psilocybin sessions | clinical populations | - | revealing variations in measuring, reporting methods and occurrences | #1 |
psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy | increase | elevated blood pressure | clinical populations | - | most common adverse events during and after sessions included | #2 |
psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy | increase | headaches | clinical populations | - | most common adverse events during and after sessions included | #3 |
psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy | increase | nausea | clinical populations | - | most common adverse events during and after sessions included | #4 |
psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy | increase | vomiting | clinical populations | - | most common adverse events during and after sessions included | #5 |
psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy | increase | fatigue | clinical populations | - | most common adverse events during and after sessions included | #6 |
psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy | increase | anxiety | clinical populations | - | most common adverse events during and after sessions included | #7 |
psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy | increase | suicidal ideation and behaviour | participants with a history of suicidal ideation or suicide attempt(s) | infrequently | observed infrequently and mainly in participants with a history of suicidal ideation or suicide attempt(s) | #8 |
psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy | no change | safety | clinical populations | - | safety is generally supported | #9 |
psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy | no change | deaths | clinical populations | no | no deaths were attributed to | #10 |
INTRODUCTION: Psilocybin, a classical psychedelic, has been rescheduled for use in psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for treatment-resistant depression in Australia. While evidence for its use is promising, understanding the associated risks is crucial. Accordingly, this review aims to collate adverse event data from psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy clinical trials and evaluate its definition, way of measurement and reporting. METHODS: A systematic method was employed to identify clinical trials related to the use of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in clinical populations that reported on adverse events. The quality assessment focused on relevant criteria related to adverse event definition, monitoring and reporting methods. RESULTS: A total of 24 articles were included. The studies reported heterogeneous psilocybin doses, study designs and indications. Physical and psychological adverse events during and after psilocybin sessions were examined, revealing variations in measuring, reporting methods and occurrences. The most common adverse events during and after sessions included elevated blood pressure, headaches, nausea, vomiting, fatigue and anxiety. In addition, both suicidal ideation and behaviour were observed infrequently and mainly in participants with a history of suicidal ideation or suicide attempt(s). CONCLUSION: The review highlights the need to standardise the defintion of an adverse event, including how they are measured and reported, in psychedelic clinical trials to ensure consistent reporting across studies. In addition, screening participants for suicidality history and ongoing monitoring remains important, given the potential risk identified in the literature. However, based on the available data, the safety of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy is generally supported, and no deaths were attributed to psilocybin. Nevertheless, cautious optimism is needed due to the preliminary nature and heterogeneity of the safety data.