Beyond symptom reduction: DMT improves anxiety, life satisfaction, and quality of life in healthy volunteers and patients with depression

Inhaled DMT, combined with psychological support, is associated with reduced state anxiety up to one day after administration in both healthy individuals and patients with treatment-resistant depression. Healthy volunteers reported increased life satisfaction up to 14 days. Patients showed increased life satisfaction after 12 months and sustained improvements in quality of life over that period, including physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment, as well as inner peace and hope and optimism. The study is limited by an open-label design, lack of placebo control, and modest sample size.

Study at a glance

Abstract

BACKGROUND: -dimethyltryptamine (DMT); however, long-term effects, including broader well-being dimensions, are sparsely explored across populations. AIMS: Investigating whether DMT produces sustained improvements in anxiety, life satisfaction, and quality of life, in both healthy individuals and patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). METHODS: In 2 open-label clinical trials, 27 healthy individuals and 14 patients with TRD, respectively, received inhaled DMT in a supportive clinical setting. Repeated assessments were conducted from baseline up to 12 months (only patients), including state anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory State, STAI-S), life satisfaction (Satisfaction with Life Scale, SWL), and quality of life (World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument - Abbreviated Version, WHOQOL-BREF, and Spirituality, Religion and Personal Beliefs Module, WHOQOL-SRPB). RESULTS: All volunteers showed reduced state anxiety after inhalation up to 1 day afterward. Healthy volunteers reported increased life satisfaction up to 14 days post-administration. Beyond symptom reduction, patients reported increased life satisfaction after 12 months and sustained improvements in quality of life over that period, including Physical Health, Psychological Health, Social Relationships, and Environment (WHOQOL-BREF), and partially Inner Peace and Hope & Optimism (WHOQOL-SRPB). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that inhaled DMT, combined with psychological support, is associated with recovery of daily functioning and health domains in patients with depression. Although limited by open-label design, lacking placebo control, and modest sample size, this exploratory study highlights the value of incorporating multidimensional outcomes in psychedelic research and DMT's potential relevance in both clinical and public health contexts.