Breaking the chains of depression: A systematic review and meta-analysis of psilocybin therapy.

Résumé

Psilocybin, a naturally occurring hallucinogenic substance present in certain mushrooms, has drawn growing attention as a therapeutic breakthrough for several mental and psychiatric conditions. Psilocybin originated in spiritual and cultural traditions and has become the focus of extensive scientific research. This meta-analysis and systematic review aggregate results from the literature to evaluate the therapeutic function of psilocybin following PRISMA 2020. Although it is now used to treat addiction, end-of-life anxiety, and treatment-resistant depression, new research indicates that it could additionally be used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases. Psilocybin's regulation of serotonin 5-HT2A receptors, which improves neuroplasticity, disrupts maladaptive cognitive processes and encourages emotional integration, is the backend of its therapeutic benefits. The meta-analysis results indicate that psilocybin has an outstanding capacity to reduce the symptoms of anxiety/MDD (SMD = -1.438, 95 % CI: -1.729 to -1.146, p