Volume 29, Issue 156, February 2025

Psychedelics as an alternative to traditional pharmacotherapy in treating mental disorders – a review of latest studies

Jakub Pudźwa¹, Kamil Gibczyński², Karol Leśniewski¹, Piotr Paluch¹, Karolina Jabłońska¹, Aleksandra Jeńć- Magoń¹, Anita Król2, Michał Orczyk¹, Martyna Orzechowska¹

¹Kolegium Nauk Medycznych, Uniwersytet Rzeszowski al. Tadeusza Rejtana 16c, 35-310 Rzeszów, Polska, Poland
²Uniwersytecki Szpital Kliniczny im. Fryderyka Chopina w Rzeszowie, ul. Fryderyka, Szopena 2, 35-055 Rzeszów, Polska, Poland

ABSTRACT

Objective: The purpose of the following review was to summarize the recent studies on proposed mechanisms of action of psychedelic drugs (psilocybin, MDMA, LSD), their therapeutic potential in mental disorders (depression, PTSD, addictions), and the evaluation of their safety. This review also discusses the barriers to the clinical implementation of these agents. Methodology: The paper combines a review of scientific literature on the mechanisms of action of psychedelics and their effects on neural networks like the Default Mode Network (DMN), as well as their propensity to trigger the activation of neuroplasticity and induce introspection. The review includes clinical and experimental studies, meta-analyses, and systematic literature reviews. Results: Psychedelics hold the most promise as a potentially therapeutic modality in the treatment of treatmentresistant depression, the mitigation of existential dread in the terminally ill, and as an adjunct in the treatment of addiction. Psychedelics operate through modulation of activity across neural networks, amplified neuroplasticity, and the opportunity for affective insight and catharsis. Further research must evaluate the lasting effects and bodily safety of these substances. Conclusion: Psychedelic compounds show potential for clinical applications, but they also raise multiple ethical, legal, and social problems. We require additional research to establish these compounds’ extended consequences, safety parameters, and optimal conditions.

Keywords: Psychedelics, psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD.

Medical Science, 2025, 29, e35ms3518

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v29i156.e35ms3518

Published: 15 February 2025