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Licit use of illicit drugs for treating depression: the pill and the process.

The Journal of clinical investigation
January 1, 1970
Alejandro Torrado Pacheco et al. (2 authors)
Journal ArticleReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to review the role of clinician-assisted intervention in the efficacy of MDMA for treating mood and psychiatric disorders.

Results Summary

The abstract reports positive outcomes for MDMA in treating depression, anxiety, PTSD, and substance use disorders, but emphasizes the importance of clinician-assisted intervention for these effects. It also highlights the need for clinical trials comparing stand-alone drug treatment versus drug combined with psychological support.

Population

Patients with mood and related psychiatric disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, PTSD, substance use disorders).

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (3)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
psilocybin
decrease
depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and drug or alcohol use disorders
-
-
reported positive outcomes
#1
MDMA
decrease
depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and drug or alcohol use disorders
-
-
reported positive outcomes
#2
ketamine
decrease
depression
-
-
successful use
#3
Abstract

Psilocybin, MDMA, and ketamine have emerged as potentially effective treatments for rapid amelioration of the symptoms of mood and related psychiatric disorders. All clinical data collected so far with regard to psilocybin or MDMA, which have reported positive outcomes for treating depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and drug or alcohol use disorders, have involved clinician-assisted intervention. While the case for ketamine is assumed to be different, the first report of the successful use of ketamine in psychiatry for treating depression was in combination with psychotherapy, and an emerging literature suggests that the subjective state of individual experiences with ketamine predicts clinical outcome. This Review will focus on (a) a brief review of the literature, showing that the context or the process of drug administration has been an integrative component of published work; (b) the importance of clinical trials to compare the efficacy of the drug ("pill") as a stand-alone treatment versus drug in combination with clinician-assisted psychological support ("process"); and (c) suggestions for future approaches in animal models that take into account the role of systems and behavioral neuroscience in explaining a potential role for context, experience, and expectancy in drug effect.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
HumansAnimalsKetamineDepressionPsilocybinIllicit DrugsN-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy75/10
Quality80/10
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.05
Weight Score0.67
Normalized Score0.66
Related Supplements
Licit use of illicit drugs for treating depression: the pill... | Panacea Index