Potencial uso terapêutico da Psilocibina no tratamento do Transtorno Depressivo Maior (TDM) : uma revisão integrativa

Abstract

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a modern problem that affects millions of people worldwide, and can be highly disabling, as it takes away the person's pleasure in life and the will to do normal daily activities, and can even lead to death. MDD is characterized as a chronic illness that causes mood swings marked by deep sadness. Several symptoms define depression, such as depressed mood during the day, anhedonia, changes in weight and/or appetite, changes in sleep, psychomotor retardation, fatigue, feelings of guilt and suicidal ideation. The main theory that explains the origin of depression is the monoaminergic theory, which says that such a disorder is caused by the low concentration of monoamines in the brain, such as serotonin and dopamine. Psilocybin, a substance produced by hallucinogenic mushrooms, mainly of the Psilocybe genus, has shown promise in the treatment of MDD, because its mechanism of action is similar to that of these monoamines, as they bind to 5-HT2A receptors present in the central nervous system. The objective of this integrative review is to analyze the evidence present in the recent scientific literature on the therapeutic potential of psilocybin in the treatment of MDD. The articles were collected from the Scielo, BVS, PubMed and Google Scholar databases, using the guiding question as a guide. The articles are from 2016 to 2022 so that the most recent works on the subject could be collected. The studies addressed, mostly double-blind randomized clinical studies, showed that psilocybin has the ability to significantly reduce the symptoms of depression after a few months of administration of the substance, accompanied by supportive psychotherapy, including cases of treatment-resistant depression and depression. in people at risk of dying from cancer. The antidepressant effects begin to manifest themselves in the weeks following the beginning of the administration. Compared to escitalopram, psilocybin has similar antidepressant effects. Based on these studies, psilocybin psychedelic therapy may become a new option in the therapeutic arsenal against Major Depressive Disorder, if new studies on efficacy and safety confirm previous studies.