Psychedelic Therapy for OCD
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an emerging indication for psilocybin therapy with a plausible mechanistic basis. OCD involves dysfunction in serotonin-driven circuits — the same pathways targeted by psilocybin's action at 5-HT2A receptors. Early studies at Yale and Johns Hopkins show significant symptom reduction after psilocybin sessions, even in patients who hadn't responded to SSRIs.
The hypothesis is that psilocybin's ability to temporarily disrupt rigid neural patterns allows patients to break free from the compulsive feedback loops characteristic of OCD. Multiple Phase 2 trials are now underway to test this mechanism in larger patient populations.
Clinical Trials
11 trials currently recruiting
Effects of Repeated Psilocybin Dosing in OCD
Yale University
Effects of Psilocybin in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Johns Hopkins University
Understanding How Ketamine Brings About Rapid Improvement in OCD
Stanford University
PsilOCD: A Pharmacological-Challenge Feasibility Study
Imperial College London
Chart Review of Patients Undergoing Ketamine Infusions
Brain and Cognition Discovery Foundation
Efficacy of Psilocybin in OCD: a Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study.
Yale University