There seems to have been an entire issue of the Journal of Psychopharmacology (December 2016) devoted to this with original research papers:
"Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial."
"Rapid and sustained symptom reduction following psilocybin treatment for anxiety and depression in patients with life-threatening cancer: a randomized controlled trial."
and commentaries:
"Psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for dying cancer patients - aiding the final trip."
"The role of psychedelics in palliative care reconsidered: A case for psilocybin"
"Psilocybin for depression and anxiety associated with life-threatening illnesses."
"Psilocybin and palliative end-of-life care."
"Psilocybin in end of life care: Implications for further research."
"Psilocybin for anxiety and depression in cancer care? Lessons from the past and prospects for the future."
This should be of considerable interest to the cancer care-giving community. I plan on thoroughly reviewing this literature and writing more about it in the future.
The clinical trials referred to in the list above were two different trials. In the opening editorial to this edition of the Journal of Psychopharmacology it states:
ReplyDelete"This special issue of the Journal of Psychopharmacology contains
two landmark studies – the most rigorous controlled trials to
date using the psychedelic drug psilocybin, the active ingredient
of magic mushrooms. These were conducted in patients with anxiety and depression
and existential distress in the context of having a diagnosis of
cancer, and they showed that a single psychedelic experience
could produce profound and enduring mental health benefits."