ArticlePloS one2022
"A sense of the bigger picture:" A qualitative analysis of follow-up interviews with people with bipolar disorder who self-reported psilocybin use.
Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Psychedelic-induced hypomania and mania: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Article
- Psilocybin and Bipolar Depression: Promise and Prudence.CNS drugs · 2026Review
- Learning from boundlessness: epistemic shifts towards a holistic worldview following psychedelic experiences.Npj mental health research · 2026Article
- Naturalistic Psychedelic Use and Psychotic Symptoms: A Cross-Sectional Study of Individuals with a Personal or Family History of Psychotic or Bipolar Disorders.Psychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.) · 2025Article
- The Emergence of Psilocybin in Psychiatry and Neuroscience.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy for Treatment-Resistant Depression in Bipolar II Disorder.Psychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.) · 2025Article
- A qualitative analysis of follow-up interviews with SLE patients from the "living well with lupus" study.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- Preliminary safety and effectiveness of psilocybin-assisted therapy in adults with fibromyalgia: an open-label pilot clinical trial.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- How do psychedelics impact people with a history of non-affective psychosis? A qualitative study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Review of Psilocybin Use for Depression among Cancer Patients after Approval in Oregon.Cancers · 2024Review
- Longitudinal associations between psychedelic use and psychotic symptoms in the United States and the United Kingdom.Journal of affective disorders · 2024Article
- Psychedelic Use Among Psychiatric Medication Prescribers: Effects on Well-Being, Depression, Anxiety, and Associations with Patterns of Use, Reported Harms, and Transformative Mental States.Psychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.) · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesPeople with bipolar disorder (BD) spend more time depressed than manic/hypomanic, and depression is associated with greater impairments in psychosocial functioning and quality of life than mania/hypomania. Emerging evidence suggests psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in "magic mushrooms," is a promising treatment for unipolar depression. Clinical trials of psilocybin therapy have excluded people with BD as a precaution against possible adverse effects (e.g., mania). Our study centered the experiences of adults living with BD who consumed psilocybin-containing mushrooms, and aimed to (1) understand its subjective impacts on BD symptoms, (2) deepen understanding of Phase I survey results, and (3) elucidate specific contextual factors associated with adverse reactions in naturalistic settings.
methodsFollowing an international survey (Phase I), follow-up interviews were conducted with 15 respondents (Phase II) to further understand psilocybin use among adults with BD. As part of a larger mixed-methods explanatory sequential design study, reflexive thematic analysis was used to elaborate findings.
resultsThree major themes containing sub-themes were developed. (1) Mental Health Improvements: (1.1) decreased impact and severity of depression, (1.2) increased emotion processing, (1.3) development of new perspectives, and (1.4) greater relaxation and sleep. (2) Undesired Mental Health Impacts: (2.1) changes in sleep, (2.2) increased mania severity, (2.3) hospitalization, and (2.4) distressing sensory experiences. (3) Salient Contextual Factors for psilocybin use included: (3.1) poly-substance use and psilocybin dose, (3.2) solo versus social experiences, and (3.3) pre-psilocybin sleep deprivation.
conclusionOur findings demonstrate both benefits and risks of psilocybin use in this population. Carefully designed clinical trials focused on safety and preliminary efficacy are warranted.
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Registered trials
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