People with ALS can experience emotional distress and mood-related issues such as depression, a decline in quality of life, and feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, known as existential distress. There are few therapies that currently treat these symptoms in a significant or sustained way, and those that do often have unwanted side effects and limited effectiveness. Psychedelics, such as psilocybin, have been shown to significantly improve mood and quality of life in people with depression and patients with serious illness such as cancer for several weeks to months after a single high dose with psychological support.
This webinar will review current clinical data on psilocybin for depression and existential distress, discuss its potential therapeutic benefits/risks in people with ALS, and describe our upcoming pilot study of psilocybin-assisted treatment in patients with ALS including study aims, methods, and recruitment information.
