Psilocybin could be used to treat depression on a larger scale. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File International scientists argue that the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, psilocybin, could be used to treat depression on a larger scale but important questions about its therapeutic viability remain unanswered.
University of Oxford researchers reviewed seven trials involving 436 participants (52% female; 90% white Anglo-Saxon) to conclude that psilocybin use was linked to improved depression scores compared to other treatments.
The peer-reviewed study found the change in patients’ depression scores was significantly greater after treatment with psilocybin than with a comparator treatment, with an overall Hedge’s g of 1.64, indicating a large effect size favouring psilocybin.
They also found benefits of psilocybin were more pronounced among people with depression related to an underlying disease, older people and those who had previously used psychedelics.
An estimated 300 million people worldwide are affected by depression, and it is a known and leading cause of disability.
For those who are prescribed antidepressant drugs, treatment effects do not appear until about 4-7 weeks after they are taken, and the likelihood of relapse is high, with 40-60% of people with depression experiencing a further depressive episode.
A combination of studies was also examined, some involving psychotherapy treatment and some without that support.
But the evidence is not certain enough, due to the high levels of variation (heterogeneity) in the studies, to confirm psilocybin’s strong antidepressant effect. And, before psilocybin treatment can be established in clinical settings, issues such as cost, lack of regulatory guidelines and legal safeguards must first be resolved.
In an associated editorial authored by researchers unconnected to the study , experts said the analysis identified psilocybin was more effective than alternative treatments for depression such as placebo, niacin (vitamin B) or psychedelics microdosing.“Psilocybin’s mechanism of action differs from that of classic selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and might improve the treatment response rate, decrease time to improvement of symptoms, and prevent relapse post-remission,” the paper read.“Moreover, more recent assessments of harm have consistently reported that psilocybin generally has low addictive potential and toxicity and that it can be administered safely under clinical supervision.”The experts […]
Potential for psilocybin antidepressant treatment highlighted by study
