Esketamine and Psilocybin - The Comparison of Two Mind-Altering Agents in Depression Treatment: Systematic Review

Course overview

Course Description: This course is based on material published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences and is available as an open-access article. This publication discusses two compounds belonging to the psychoactive substances group that are studied in the context of depression treatment-psilocybin and esketamine. The former is a naturally occurring psychedelic. The latter was invented in the laboratory exactly 60 years ago. Although the substances were controversial in the past, recent studies indicate the potential of those substances as novel antidepressant agents. The PubMed/MEDLINE database was used to identify articles for systematic review, using the following search terms: (depression) AND (psilocybin) OR (ketamine). From 617 items, only 12 articles were obtained in the final analyses. Three articles were devoted to psilocybin in depression treatment and nine to esketamine. In most studies, esketamine showed a significant reduction in both depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation shortly after intake and after a month of treatment compared to baseline and to standard-of-care antidepressant agents. Psilocybins antidepressive effects occurred one day after intake and after 6-7 weeks of treatment and were maintained for up to 6 or 8 months of follow-up. One study indicated that psilocybins effects are comparable with and may be superior to escitalopram treatment. Both esketamine and psilocybin demonstrated rapid and long-term effects in reducing depression symptoms and, after overcoming some limitations, may be considered novel antidepressant agents in the future. This course on the relationship between esketamine and psilocybin and depressive symptoms is designed for social workers, professional counselors, psychologists, nurses, and substance abuse counselors who do clinical work. In addition, this course is appropriate for intermediate and advanced-level practitioners who wish to develop their knowledge of the relationship between esketamine and psilocybin and depressive symptoms. The course material includes a literature review of interventions and research. It may also be useful for licensed clinicians who require continuing clinical education courses for license renewal. The course is based on a journal article that includes research. It contains statistical analysis and data that some clinicians enjoy reading, and others do not. A significant benefit of reading research-based articles for continuing education is they provide practitioners with the latest findings in their field. Authors: Psiuk, Nowak, Dycha, Opuszaska, Kurzepa, Samardakiewicz Learning Objectives: This course will provide the practitioner with detailed information regarding the relationship between esketamine and psilocybin and depressive symptoms. Specifically, a professional will: Describe possible mechanisms of depression and current depression treatments. Identify effects of psilocybin and esketamine on depression symptoms. Recognize similarities and differences between psilocybin and esketamine. Citation: Psiuk, D., Nowak, E. M., Dycha, N., Opuszaska, U., Kurzepa, J., & Samardakiewicz, M. (2022). Esketamine and Psilocybin-The Comparison of Two Mind-Altering Agents in Depression Treatment: Systematic Review. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(19), 11450. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms231911450