Do psilocybin or methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) improve mental, behavioural or developmental disorders either as stand - alone treatments or in combination with psychotherapy?

Abstract

There has been increasing interest in the use of psychedelics such as psilocybin or methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. This is reflected in the breakthrough designation by the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) of MDMA and psilocybin for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and treatment-resistant depression, respectively. Other work suggests that psilocybin may also be effective for treating anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, and end-of-life distress. Benefits seem to occur in both stand-alone therapy and when combined with psychotherapy. Although there have been several recent systematic reviews published, the number of studies and participants have been limited, and the field is rapidly evolving with the availability of more studies and data. Ongoing reviews that are registered with PROSPERO are restricted to individual agents or particular diagnoses and/ or include non-RCTs, which are subject to bias. Furthermore, in agents with a rapid onset of action it is important to consider studies with inactive and active controls separately.

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