Psilocybin-Assisted Early Palliative Care for Demoralization and Chronic Pain: An Open-Label Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care
• Psychopharmacology
• Oncology

Background:

• Demoralization and chronic pain are significant challenges for patients in early palliative care.
• Psilocybin-assisted therapy (PAT) shows promise for improving pain and demoralization.
• Limited research exists on PAT for patients experiencing both demoralization and chronic pain within multidisciplinary palliative care settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the safety, feasibility, and acceptability of PAT integrated with multidisciplinary palliative care.
• To evaluate PAT's impact on demoralization and chronic pain in cancer patients.

Main Methods:

• An open-label pilot study involving cancer patients with demoralization and chronic pain.
• Participants received a single 25 mg oral dose of psilocybin.
• Support included preparation, monitoring, and integration by mental health and spiritual health clinicians, alongside palliative care.

Main Results:

• The intervention was safe and feasible, with no serious adverse events and high participant retention.
• All participants found the therapy highly acceptable.
• Significant improvements were observed: 90% no longer met criteria for clinically-significant demoralization, and pain scores decreased.

Conclusions:

• Psilocybin-assisted therapy is a safe, feasible, and acceptable intervention for demoralized cancer patients with chronic pain.
• Integrating PAT with multidisciplinary palliative care shows potential for improving patient outcomes.