Palliative doctors back psilocybin trials

Psilocybin is the psychoactive compound in “magic mushrooms,” and doctors in Australia and New Zealand are increasingly treating it as a research question, not just a taboo. A survey of 93 palliative care physicians found 88% backed more research into psychedelic medicines for end-of-life patients. (newswire.co.nz) The same survey found 75% of respondents disagreed that psychedelics were unsafe and should be prohibited for medical use, according to Radio New Zealand’s report on the study. Younger doctors were more likely than older peers to say the drugs could improve clinical outcomes. (rnz.co.nz) The study itself was published last week in the *Journal of Palliative Medicine* group’s new outlet *Palliative Care and Social Practice* on ScienceDirect. It used a mixed-methods design: a cross-sectional questionnaire for palliative care physicians in Australia and New Zealand, followed by optional interviews. (sciencedirect.com) Palliative care is the branch of medicine focused on easing pain, anxiety, depression, and distress in people with serious illness, rather than curing the illness itself. Health New Zealand has been building a national palliative care work programme since July 2023 to create a more consistent end-of-life care model across the country. (tewhatuora.govt.nz) The drugs in this debate are not being proposed as stand-alone pills. In the main end-of-life trials, psilocybin or 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, known as MDMA, are paired with structured psychotherapy before, during, and after dosing. (cambridge.org) Australia already has one of the region’s clearest regulatory paths, but only for narrow psychiatric uses. Since July 1, 2023, authorized psychiatrists have been allowed to prescribe MDMA for post-traumatic stress disorder and psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression; other uses remain in the prohibited category outside research. (ranzcp.org) That means palliative care work is still centered on trials. An Australia-first study at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne enrolled 35 people with advanced, life-threatening illness between January 2020 and October 2023 and tested psilocybin with psychotherapy against placebo in the first dosing session. (svhm.org.au) St Vincent’s said many participants reported improvements in depression, anxiety, outlook, and wellbeing within 24 hours, with benefits often lasting up to six months. The hospital also said the treatment process was emotionally demanding and depended on a tightly supervised therapeutic setting. (svhm.org.au) Trial registries show the pipeline is broader than one hospital. A St Vincent’s psilocybin study for depression and anxiety linked to life-threatening illness was registered in Australia in 2019 and updated with results in September 2025, while a separate Australia and New Zealand registry entry describes supervised MDMA-assisted therapy for depression and anxiety in advanced-stage cancer. (anzctr.org.au 1) (anzctr.org.au 2) Researchers have been warning for several years that the evidence base is still thin. A 2023 review in *Palliative & Supportive Care* identified 25 eligible end-of-life psychedelic studies but said larger and more rigorous trials were still needed to confirm benefits, control expectancy effects, and establish safety data. (cambridge.org) So the shift in Australasia is not that psilocybin has become routine end-of-life medicine. It is that more palliative doctors now appear willing to test, in formal trials, whether a tightly supervised psychedelic session can reduce the fear, depression, and distress that standard care often leaves behind. (newswire.co.nz) (cambridge.org)