Acute and Sustained Reductions in Loss of Meaning and Suicidal Ideation Following Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy for Psychiatric and Existential Distress in Life-Threatening Cancer

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 553-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Ross ◽  
Gabrielle Agin-Liebes ◽  
Sharon Lo ◽  
Richard J. Zeifman ◽  
Leila Ghazal ◽  
...  
2021 ◽  
Vol 89 (9) ◽  
pp. S235-S236
Author(s):  
Julia Benville ◽  
Gabrielle Agin-Liebes ◽  
Daniel E. Roberts ◽  
Sharon Lo ◽  
Leila Ghazal ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Oby

Crisis intervention is widely understood as a response to life-threatening emergencies and therefore often limited in its application to natural disasters, severe physical violence, suicidal ideation, and similarly dangerous incidents. While crisis intervention is appropriate for these scenarios, historical definitions of crisis suggest the term and related interventions have much broader application. The ramifications of the novel coronavirus and related cultural fallout increase vulnerability and impair coping capacity in such a way that individuals are significantly more likely to enter crisis states, demanding a prompt reconsideration of the breadth of this practice technique. Successful application of crisis intervention reduces the long-term psychological implications for individuals encountering sudden loss, unexpected traumas, and other hazards that overwhelm traditional coping strategies, outcomes all made more likely by this pandemic. Crisis intervention is a structured, time-limited, problem-oriented treatment modality that is well suited to a remote practice environment because it is directive in its approach and requires few contacts at a time when client access is potentially limited. This paper examines the course of crisis with or without intervention, assessment and intervention tactics, social work values when applying crisis intervention, and the implications of the use of this modality as it relates to COVID-19.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Esteban Cota ◽  
Jacob Lentz

We present a case of new onset psychosis in the setting of thyroid storm in a woman with no previous psychiatric history. The patient presented with ongoing suicidal ideation, a suicide attempt that was interrupted by her husband, and audio and visual hallucinations. The patient was placed on a psychiatric hold and treated for thyrotoxicosis as well as psychosis. Treatment of the thyroid hormone overload resulted in a rapid resolution of her symptoms; she was discharged in excellent condition, and she has had no repeat hallucinations or self-injury ideation or attempts since. Although rare, thyrotoxicosis is a potentially life-threatening cause of psychiatric illness and should always be kept on the differential diagnosis for a patient with a first episode of psychosis. This case highlights how thyroid storm physiology, beyond its well-studied hemodynamic and metabolic instability, can be potentially fatal due to psychiatric sequelae. It also highlights the crucial role of a thorough history and physical exam in all patients.


2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabrielle I Agin-Liebes ◽  
Tara Malone ◽  
Matthew M Yalch ◽  
Sarah E Mennenga ◽  
K Linnae Ponté ◽  
...  

Background: A recently published randomized controlled trial compared single-dose psilocybin with single-dose niacin in conjunction with psychotherapy in participants with cancer-related psychiatric distress. Results suggested that psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy facilitated improvements in psychiatric and existential distress, quality of life, and spiritual well-being up to seven weeks prior to the crossover. At the 6.5-month follow-up, after the crossover, 60–80% of participants continued to meet criteria for clinically significant antidepressant or anxiolytic responses. Methods: The present study is a long-term within-subjects follow-up analysis of self-reported symptomatology involving a subset of participants that completed the parent trial. All 16 participants who were still alive were contacted, and 15 participants agreed to participate at an average of 3.2 and 4.5 years following psilocybin administration. Results: Reductions in anxiety, depression, hopelessness, demoralization, and death anxiety were sustained at the first and second follow-ups. Within-group effect sizes were large. At the second (4.5 year) follow-up approximately 60–80% of participants met criteria for clinically significant antidepressant or anxiolytic responses. Participants overwhelmingly (71–100%) attributed positive life changes to the psilocybin-assisted therapy experience and rated it among the most personally meaningful and spiritually significant experiences of their lives. Conclusion: These findings suggest that psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy holds promise in promoting long-term relief from cancer-related psychiatric distress. Limited conclusions, however, can be drawn regarding the efficacy of this therapy due to the crossover design of the parent study. Nonetheless, the present study adds to the emerging literature base suggesting that psilocybin-facilitated therapy may enhance the psychological, emotional, and spiritual well-being of patients with life-threatening cancer.


2022 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Houman Farzin

This presentation will review the history of scientific research into the use of psychedelic medicines for the treatment of existential distress due to life-threatening illnesses, it will then outline the current state of affairs in North America, and conclude with exploring the implications it will have on the future of palliative care. Despite the significant advances in the field of palliative care with regards to symptom management, and pain control in particular, we have yet to devise an effective treatment strategy for individuals facing the existential distress associated with the inevitable reality of facing death. Psychedelic-assisted therapy, which involves the use of various psychoactive substances in the right set and setting to experience an altered state of consciousness, could serve as a powerful tool to alleviate the anxiety that many face after receiving a life-threatening diagnosis.  


Author(s):  
Z. Hong Zhou ◽  
Jing He ◽  
Joanita Jakana ◽  
J. D. Tatman ◽  
Frazer J. Rixon ◽  
...  

Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) is a ubiquitous virus which is implicated in diseases ranging from self-curing cold sores to life-threatening infections. The 2500 Å diameter herpes virion is composed of a glycoprotein spike containing, lipid envelope, enclosing a protein layer (the tegument) in which is embedded the capsid (which contains the dsDNA genome). The B-, and A- and C-capsids, representing different morphogenetic stages in HSV-1 infected cells, are composed of 7, and 5 structural proteins respectively. The three capsid types are organized in similar T=16 icosahedral shells with 12 pentons, 150 hexons, and 320 connecting triplexes. Our previous 3D structure study at 26 Å revealed domain features of all these structural components and suggested probable locations for the outer shell proteins, VP5, VP26, VP19c and VP23. VP5 makes up most of both pentons and hexons. VP26 appeared to bind to the VP5 subunit in hexon but not to that in penton.


2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 75-84
Author(s):  
Venkata Vijaya K. Dalai ◽  
Jason E. Childress ◽  
Paul E Schulz

Dementia is a major public health concern that afflicts an estimated 24.3 million people worldwide. Great strides are being made in order to better diagnose, prevent, and treat these disorders. Dementia is associated with multiple complications, some of which can be life-threatening, such as dysphagia. There is great variability between dementias in terms of when dysphagia and other swallowing disorders occur. In order to prepare the reader for the other articles in this publication discussing swallowing issues in depth, the authors of this article will provide a brief overview of the prevalence, risk factors, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, diagnosis, current treatment options, and implications for eating for the common forms of neurodegenerative dementias.


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