Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy as a rapid-acting treatment for cancer-related depression and anxiety: Evidence from a network meta-analysis

📖 Top 30% JournalApr 25, 2025International journal of psychiatry in medicine

Psilocybin-assisted therapy as a fast treatment for depression and anxiety linked to cancer: Evidence from a combined study analysis

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Abstract

Psilocybin significantly reduced Beck Depression Inventory scores by 2.26 points at day 1 post-administration in cancer patients.

Significant reductions in State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) state scores were observed at day 1 (MD = 11.52) and at 2 weeks (MD = 12.66).
Both STAI trait scores showed improvements at day 1 and day 14 following psilocybin administration.
The highest dose of psilocybin (0.3 mg/kg) demonstrated the greatest effectiveness, with SUCRA values indicating high efficacy for reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms.
While immediate effects on depression and anxiety symptoms were noted, they were not sustained at the 2-week follow-up.
Methodological limitations, including a small number of trials, suggest that findings should be interpreted with caution.

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ObjectiveTo evaluate psilocybin's efficacy in reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms in cancer patients based on randomized controlled trials (RCTs).MethodsThis systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) followed PRISMA and Cochrane Handbook guidelines. PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library data up to July 2024 were analyzed. Two RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Changes in Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) scores were assessed on day 1 and on 2-week follow-up. The risk of bias was evaluated with the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool 2.0.ResultsPsilocybin significantly reduced BDI scores at day 1 post-administration (MD = 2.26;= 0.01), though effects were not sustained at 2 weeks. STAI state scores showed substantial reductions at both day 1 (MD = 11.52;< 0.001) and 2 weeks (MD = 12.66;< 0.001). STAI trait scores also improved on both day 1 and day 14. The highest psilocybin dose (0.3 mg/kg) was the most effective, with SUCRA values of 87.81% (BDI), 91.58% (STAI state), and 94.2% (STAI trait).ConclusionsFindings suggest psilocybin may rapidly reduce depressive and anxiety symptoms in cancer patients, but methodological limitations, including the small number of trials, necessitate cautious interpretation. Larger, high-quality RCTs are needed to verify its clinical potential. P P P

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Abstract

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