For my capstone project, I’m doing a literature review of psilocybin’s use in palliative care.
The articles I’m finding are fascinating and the results of the studies I’m reviewing are enough to make one think that we may be on the brink of a revolution in psychiatric care in general. As for the potential future use of psilocybin in our palliative care population, there are multiple symptoms that it may treat and multiple settings in which it may come to be used. Studies looking at psilocybin-guided therapy in patients with serious illness have shown improvement in symptoms including anxiety, depression, and existential distress. Psilocybin-guided therapy has been effective in a group-therapy setting as well as in the setting of individual therapy. The possibility that it may help with caregiver distress has been proposed. There are so many places this may go.
With the legalization of psilocybin for medicinal purposes a mere five weeks away here in Colorado, there will be a lot for us as palliative care providers to learn relatively quickly. Which patients are appropriate candidates? Are there ongoing legal issues associated with its use? Which therapists in our community will take this on in their practice? Despite the many questions that remain unanswered, I can’t help but feel excited for the possibility that I may one day soon be able to offer this new form of treatment to my patients who are suffering with serious illness.
