Psilocybin After ECT: Case Report

 Out on PubMed, from an author in Virginia, is this case report:


Self-administration of Psilocybin in the Setting of Treatment-resistant Depression.

Lyons A.Innov Clin Neurosci. 2022 Jul-Sep;19(7-9):44-47.PMID: 36204170 
The abstract is copied below:

Background: Patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) who fail to respond to two or more antidepressants are often considered to have treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Many of the current options for TRD have significant side effect profiles, are expensive, and are difficult to access. There has been a revival of psychedelic research in recent years that shows promising results in the treatment of TRD.

Case presentation: Here, the case of a 43-year-old man with TRD is presented. TRD symptoms were greatly interfering with his life. He underwent psychological testing, lab work, adequate trials of numerous medications, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and electroconvulsive therapy, all without adequate relief of his symptoms. The patient began self-administering a microdosing regimen of psilocybin and experienced significant improvement of MDD symptoms, as characterized by Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS).

Discussion: In recent years, multiple randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) have shown the benefit of psilocybin in the treatment of varying types of depression. One trial evaluated psilocybin and escitalopram as treatments for depression, and psilocybin was found to be superior.

Conclusion: This case suggests the possible benefit of psilocybin in the setting of TRD, as outlined in recent research. Additional research is needed to confirm these observations.

Keywords: Depression; MDD; psilocybin; treatment-resistant.

The article is here.


So, here we have the trashing of ECT by a very junior author, and the conclusion that "psilocybin could be an alternative to ECT."
Certainly, the use of psychedelics in psychiatric treatment is interesting, but this is the usual jump to conclusions and rush to throw out ECT. 
I hope blog followers will read this case in full and consider commenting, thanks.




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