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Psychedelics for depression: from neurobiology to treatment

Authors:

Abstract

Decades ago, the classical psychedelics psilocybin and LSD entered the therapeutic setting and already then showed their therapeutic potential in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. For thousands of years another psychedelic, ayahuasca, is being used by tribes in western Amazonia for healing and divination, and in recent years its use has expanded worldwide. Research into the therapeutic potential of these substances has re-emerged and (preliminary) findings are promising, showing that after one or two administrations remission is reached in depressed patients that were labeled as treatment-resistant. This is a remarkable finding as the therapeutic effects of treatment with conventional pharmacological agents like SSRIs take longer to lead to remission, with one-third of the patients failing to reach this stage. The fast onset of positive therapeutic effects by psychedelics increases the interest to discover the mechanism of action behind this. There is a debate about the importance of the psychological experience caused by these agents in the therapeutic outcome, while science also tries to understand the neurobiological correlates. The latter will be addressed in my talk and I will link it to psychedelics’ therapeutic effects. Disclosure of Interest None Declared
together with the speaker of this presentation and Parnassia Groep
in the Netherlands.
The Start Program is part of the Super Brains app, and meant for
patients referred for treatment, who have to wait on often long waiting
lists. Now they have no longer to wait, but can start immediately by
preparing for diagnostic assessment by filling in questionnaires,
and with psycho-education, lifestyle tips and support by experience
experts, who welcome them in the app and show them around.
First data on the use of different parts of the Start Program, the
activity of the patients in the app and the satisfaction of patients will
be presented. We also aim to study whether the Start Program is
effective in reducing severity of ADHD symptoms during the waiting
time. Super Brains can be adjusted for use in other (neurodevelop-
mental) disorders easily (https://www.superbrains.nl/?lang=en).
Disclosure of Interest: None Declared
S0037
Psychedelics for depression: from neurobiology to
treatment
K. P. Kuypers
Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Maastricht University,
Maastricht, Netherlands
doi: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2023.74
Abstract: Decades ago, the classical psychedelics psilocybin and
LSD entered the therapeutic setting and already then showed their
therapeutic potential in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. For
thousands of years another psychedelic, ayahuasca, is being used by
tribes in western Amazonia for healing and divination, and in
recent years its use has expanded worldwide.
Research into the therapeutic potential of these substances has
re-emerged and (preliminary) findings are promising, showing that
after one or two administrations remission is reached in depressed
patients that were labeled as treatment-resistant. This is a remark-
able finding as the therapeutic effects of treatment with conven-
tional pharmacological agents like SSRIs take longer to lead to
remission, with one-third of the patients failing to reach this stage.
The fast onset of positive therapeutic effects by psychedelics
increases the interest to discover the mechanism of action behind
this. There is a debate about the importance of the psychological
experience caused by these agents in the therapeutic outcome, while
science also tries to understand the neurobiological correlates. The
latter will be addressed in my talk and I will link it to psychedelics
therapeutic effects.
Disclosure of Interest: None Declared
S0038
Student mental health: Beyond the data, questions still
need to be asked
Y. Morvan
1,2
1
Psychologie, SPSE, CLIPSYD, Université Paris Nanterre, Nanterre
and
2
Psychiatrie du Développement et Trajectoires, Inserm U1018,
CESP, Paris, France
doi: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2023.75
Abstract: Introduction: Student mental health was a public health
problem long before the pandemic. However, first one needs to
define what mental health means. Fried (2017) showed that there
was a great heterogeneity in the symptoms assessed by the depres-
sion scales. Similarly, other factors (study design, assessment
period, chosen scale and chosen cut-off or threshold, response rate,
data management, etc.) can have an impact on the prevalence
found. In addition, theoretical and modelling considerations on
mental health need to be answered.
Methods: The french Observatoire de la Vie Etudiante measured an
increase in student psychological distress since 2016, particularly
between 2020 and 2021. Data from three surveys conducted in 2016
(n=18,875), 2020 (n=60,014), and 2021 (n=4,901, longitudinal
follow-up from 2020) were used to model psychological distress
as a latent common cause or a network with emergent properties.
Results: Preliminary results show that from a latent perspective,
measurement invariance does not hold. From a network perspec-
tive, the modelled systems showed differences in three aspects (van
Borkulo et al., 2022). For participants in the 2020 and 2021 surveys,
an increased vulnerability of the modelled system was observed.
Prevention and intervention targets in the system were tested with
simulation techniques (Lunansky et al., 2022).
Conclusion: Caution is advised for prevalence comparisons when
measurement invariance does not hold. The network approach
offers an alternative to studying psychological distress as an emer-
gent property of a complex system. However, regardless of the
statistical approach, with subjective measures and without meas-
urement error control and qualitative data or cognitive interviews:
it is difficult to partition between a change or increase in the
phenomenon we wish to measure and a change in the way people
tend to respond to a questionnaire, since the representation they
have of the specific questions designed to describe this phenom-
enon might also have changed.
Disclosure of Interest: None Declared
S0039
How co-production helped to shape Well Parent Japan:
A culturally appropriate parenting intervention for
mothers of children with ADHD
S. Shimabukuro
Institute of science and technology, okinawa university, okinawa, Japan
doi: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2023.76
Abstract: This presentation will talk about co-production findings
from three completed studies to develop and evaluate a culturally
appropriate Japanese version of the New Forest Parent Training
Programme (NFPP), named Well Parent Japan (WPJ). Dr Shima-
bukuro will also present an on-going prospective study aiming to
provide support for Japanese mothers and teachers of children with
ADHD in a school setting. Dr. Shimabukuro will share the experi-
ences worked with different stakeholders at the different stage of the
study and highlight the benefits of co-production in the research
and how WPJ was shaped. This presentation will also discuss
difficulties and challenges when evidence-based parent training
intervention is transferred from research to practice.
Disclosure of Interest: None Declared
S18 Symposium
https://doi.org/10.1192/j.eurpsy.2023.74 Published online by Cambridge University Press
... Specifically, evidence shows that schema related to self-image play an essential role in depression and should be the main focus of intervention [9,11]. In recent years, there has been considerable interest in psychedelic compounds (e.g., psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide [LSD]) and their extraordinary phenomenology as a means to induce flexibility in such core beliefs [12], sometimes leading to considerable transformation and behavioral change [13,14]. Evidence indicates that psychedelics alleviate the symptoms of depression, including in long-term treatment-resistant patients [15][16][17]. ...
Article
Full-text available
Background Depression is a major global health challenge, affecting over 300 million people worldwide. Current pharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions have limited efficacy, underscoring the need for novel approaches. Emerging evidence suggests that peak emotional experiences characterized by awe, transcendence, and meaning hold promise for rapidly shifting maladaptive cognitive patterns in depression. Aesthetic chills, a peak positive emotion characterized by physical sensations such as shivers and goosebumps, may influence reward-related neural pathways and hold promise for modifying core maladaptive beliefs rooted in early adverse experiences. Methods We enrolled 96 patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder. A validated database of multimedia known to elicit chills responses (ChillsDB) was used for stimulus presentation. Participants’ emotional responses were assessed using the Emotional Breakthrough Inventory (EBI), while shifts in self-schema were measured via the Young Positive Schema Questionnaire (YSPQ). Results The study found that chill-inducing stimuli have the potential to positively influence the core schema of individuals with depression, impacting areas of self-related beliefs. The associated phenomenology triggered by chills appears to share similarities with the altered states of consciousness induced by psychedelic substances like psilocybin. Conclusions These preliminary results suggest that the biological processes involved in aesthetic chills could be harnessed as a non-pharmacological intervention for depression. However, further investigation is necessary to comprehensively understand the neurophysiological responses to chills and to evaluate the practicality, effectiveness, and safety of utilizing aesthetic chills as a preventive measure in mental health care.
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