Historic psychedelic drug trials and the treatment of anxiety disorders
Depression and Anxiety July 5, 2020 N. Weston, Damian Gibbs, Catherine Bird et al. 38 citations
A systematic review of literature from 1940 to 2000 examined the combined use of psychological therapies and psychedelic drugs for treating ICD-10 anxiety disorders. Twenty studies were included in the final analysis. Three studies reported improvements in anxiety on standardized measures, with two finding a dose-related effect. Among 145 cases of psychoneurotic anxiety reaction, 94 (65%) showed improvement ranging from moderate to full recovery. The majority of studies indicated that combining psychedelic drug administration with psychological therapy was most beneficial; no study suggested that the drug alone was sufficient.