Longitudinal experiences of Canadians receiving compassionate access to psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy.

Autor: de la Salle S; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.; Lady Davis Institute at the Jewish General Hospital, Montréal, Canada., Kettner H; Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.; Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, USA., Thibault Lévesque J; Lady Davis Institute at the Jewish General Hospital, Montréal, Canada., Garel N; Department of Psychiatry and Addictology, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, 2900 Boul. Edouard-Montpetit, Montréal, Canada.; Research Centre, Centre Hospitaller de L'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), 900 Saint-Denis Street, Montréal, Canada., Dames S; Health and Human Services, Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo, Canada., Patchett-Marble R; Northern Ontario School of Medicine University, Thunder Bay, Canada.; Marathon Family Health Team, Marathon, Canada., Rej S; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.; Lady Davis Institute at the Jewish General Hospital, Montréal, Canada.; School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK., Gloeckler S; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.; Lady Davis Institute at the Jewish General Hospital, Montréal, Canada., Erritzoe D; Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK., Carhart-Harris R; Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.; Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, USA., Greenway KT; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, Canada. Kyle.greenway@mcgill.ca.; Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK. Kyle.greenway@mcgill.ca.; Lady Davis Institute at the Jewish General Hospital, Montréal, Canada. Kyle.greenway@mcgill.ca.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Scientific reports [Sci Rep] 2024 Jul 17; Vol. 14 (1), pp. 16524. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Jul 17.
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-66817-0
Abstrakt: Recent clinical trials have found that the serotonergic psychedelic psilocybin effectively alleviates anxiodepressive symptoms in patients with life-threatening illnesses when given in a supportive environment. These outcomes prompted Canada to establish legal pathways for therapeutic access to psilocybin, coupled with psychological support. Despite over one-hundred Canadians receiving compassionate access since 2020, there has been little examination of these 'real-world' patients. We conducted a prospective longitudinal survey which focused on Canadians who were granted Section 56 exemptions for legal psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy. Surveys assessing various symptom dimensions were conducted at baseline, two weeks following the session (endpoint), and optionally one day post-session. Participant characteristics were examined using descriptive statistics, and paired sample t-tests were used to quantify changes from baseline to the two-week post-treatment endpoint. Eight participants with Section 56 exemptions (four females, M age  = 52.3 years), all with cancer diagnoses, fully completed baseline and endpoint surveys. Significant improvements in anxiety and depression symptoms, pain, fear of COVID-19, quality of life, and spiritual well-being were observed. Attitudes towards death, medical assistance in dying, and desire for hastened death remained unchanged. While most participants found the psilocybin sessions highly meaningful, if challenging, one reported a substantial decrease in well-being due to the experience. These preliminary data are amongst the first to suggest that psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy can produce psychiatric benefits in real-world patients akin to those observed in clinical trials. Limited enrollment and individual reports of negative experiences indicate the need for formal real-world evaluation programs to surveil the ongoing expansion of legal access to psychedelics.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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