LSD Therapy Induces Rapid, Lasting Reductions in Anxiety and Depression

BILL W. WAS A PIONEER –

Sept. 8, 2022 – LSD-assisted therapy could provide benefits to patients struggling with anxiety disorders, according to new research published in Biological Psychiatry. The findings suggest that the psychedelic drug can produce notable reductions of anxiety and comorbid depression symptoms.

LSD-assisted therapy involves the controlled administration of lysergic acid diethylamide under the guidance of a trained therapist. Although LSD is best known as a recreational drug, some research suggests that it can have powerful therapeutic effects in a wide range of psychiatric conditions when combined with psychotherapy.

The findings from the new research provide preliminary evidence that LSD-assisted therapy can result in long-term reductions in anxiety symptoms. “The response was surprisingly sustained,” said study author Matthias Liechti, a professor of clinical pharmacology at University Hospital Basel. A small pilot study had already found evidence that LSD-assisted therapy could help reduce anxiety symptoms in patients with life-threatening illness. The new double-blind, placebo-controlled study sought to corroborate these findings in patients with anxiety with and also without a life-threatening illness.