New treatments for OCD? Evidence for cannabinoids and psychedelics.
J Psychiatr Res November 26, 2025 Michael Van Ameringen, Vidhi Patel, Beth Patterson et al.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) involves imbalances in serotonin, dopamine, and glutamate. About 40-60% of patients do not respond to first-line treatments and are considered treatment resistant. There is no gold-standard treatment for these patients. This scoping review examined evidence for cannabinoids and psychedelics (psilocybin, LSD, DMT, MDMA) in OCD. Most evidence comes from surveys and case reports, with few controlled trials. The review found a lack of evidence supporting cannabinoids for OCD, but a stronger signal for psilocybin in treatment-resistant OCD. Well-controlled randomized trials are needed.