| Abstract [eng] |
Psychiatric disorders are widespread in modern society, with about 280 million people worldwide suffering from depression and about 700,000 taking their lives each year. Psychotropic drugs have been playing an increasing role in the treatment of mental disorders for over half a century; they have offered substantial relief from some debilitating symptoms like auditory hallucinations, excessive mood fluctuations, etc. We know that these drugs influence certain brain chemicals and alter gene expression and protein synthesis; however, these biological effects do not translate into lasting positive psychological effects since the symptoms tend to return when medications are stopped and recur even as patients continue to take complex combinations of antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, anxiolytics, and the like. Therefore there is a need for novel therapeutic tools. Psychedelics are a group of psychoactive substances, some of which were actively studied in the second half of the twenty-first century before a strict ban on the use of these substances for scientific purposes. New, state-of-the-art studies of psychedelic substances are needed for them to become an effective therapeutic tool for some psychiatric patients. The aim of this systematic literature review was to analyze studies conducted by foreign authors to elucidate the efficacy of psychedelics and possible adverse events in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Generally positive results were observed in an analysis of 8 studies investigating the efficacy of psilocybin, ayahuasca, and MDMA in the treatment of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, as well as the neurotoxicity of ecstasy. However, more studies are needed to meet current standards to learn more about the safety, potential range, and efficacy of these substances compared to existing therapies. |
