Effects of DMT on mental health outcomes in healthy volunteers

Intravenous DMT, a fast-acting psychedelic, improved depression scores in healthy volunteers one to two weeks after administration. In a placebo-controlled comparison (13 participants) and a prospective dataset (17 participants), depression severity decreased significantly. Reductions in trait neuroticism appeared only in the placebo-controlled sample. Changes in depression and anxiety correlated with the intensity of acute peak experiences, suggesting that DMT may reduce depressive symptoms by inducing such experiences. The short half-life and flexible dosing of intravenous DMT make it a practical candidate for psychedelic medicine, though further research in clinical samples is needed.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract Psilocybin, a serotonergic psychedelic, is being increasingly researched in clinical studies for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. The relatively lengthy duration of oral psilocybin’s acute effects (4–6 h) may have pragmatic and cost-effectiveness limitations. Here, we explored the effects of intravenous (IV) N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a closely related, but faster-acting psychedelic intervention, on mental health outcomes in healthy volunteers. Data is reported from two separate analyses: (1) A comparison of mental health-related variables 1 week after 7, 14, 18, and 20 mg of IV DMT versus IV saline placebo (n = 13) and, (2) A prospective dataset assessing effects before versus 2 weeks after 20 mg of IV DMT (n = 17). Mental health outcomes included measures of depression severity (QIDS-SR16), trait anxiety (STAI-T), Neuroticism (NEO-FFI), wellbeing (WHO-5), meaning in life (MLQ), optimism (LOT-R), and gratitude (GQ-6). In both the prospective and placebo-controlled datasets, significant improvements in scores of depression were found 1–2 weeks after DMT administration. Significant reductions in trait Neuroticism were only found for the placebo-controlled sample. Finally, changes in depression and trait anxiety correlated with acute peak experiences (assessed via ‘Oceanic Boundlessness’). While the use of two separate cohorts in pooled analysis limits the generalizability of these correlational findings, these results suggest that DMT may reduce depressive symptomatology by inducing peak experiences. The short half-life of IV DMT and its potential for flexible dosing via controlled infusions makes it an appealing candidate for psychedelic medicine. Further research in clinical samples is needed to corroborate the therapeutic potential of DMT.