Study Uncovers Efficacy of Psilocybin Treatment, 4 Times More Effective than Antidepressants

A new study presents the first published data from initial human tests examining the effect of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for major depressive disorder or MDD treatment.

Reports on the research indicate, this exceptionally positive results "have been described as simply a 'taste of things to come' with a larger Phase 2 trial" well ongoing.

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved psilocybin and the principal primary psychoactive compound found in magic mushrooms, a "Breakthrough Therapy" designation on two occurrences for the last 24 months.

Reports also say the designation was first granted to contribute to the acceleration of tests for "severe treatment-resistant depression," although more recently, this classification concentrated on tests for MDD.

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Efficacy of 'Psilocybin' Therapy

Over the past couple of years, preliminary studies have shown psilocybin to potentially be efficient in helping patients who have terminal cancer in managing the end of life anxiety.

The new research specifies initial trials for psilocybin concentrating in depression focused particularly on "treatment-resistant depression," a clinical classification categorizing patients with MDD. They have not effectively responded to at least two different pharmacological antidepressant therapies during a current depressive episode.

Also indicated in this new finding is that MDD is quite more typical with some approximations, proposing more than 300 million people globally are suffering from the devastating condition.

This research, which the JAMA Psychiatry journal published, as a more extensive Phase 2 trial testing psilocybin for MDD, is ongoing, offers the first-ever peer-reviewed published data presenting effectiveness for this specific mental health condition.

This small initial test involved 24 subjects who had at least two years of documented history of depression. All respondents were required to stop using any anti-depressant treatment before the commencement of the trial.

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Depression Assessed

During the conduct of the research, participants' depression was assessed through the use of the standard GRID-Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.

The study specifies, "severe depression scores 24 or higher on the scale" while seven or below is classified as "no depression." At the start of the study, researchers were able to record an average score of 23 for the cohort.

Meanwhile, the treatment process looked like the universal protocol utilized in most psilocybin studies. Additionally, two doses of psilocybin were given to each of the subjects with a two-week interval. Several psychotherapy sessions both came first and followed the active sessions for psilocybin.

Undoubtedly, the results were impressive, having 71 percent of the participants reporting over 50 percent decline in depressive symptoms at the follow-up done for four weeks.

In addition, the average depression score for the cohort had decreased from 23 to eight one month later, and over 50 percent of the group were considered to be in remission.

John Hopkins University School of Medicine's Alan Davis said the magnitude of the effect they saw was "about four times larger than what clinical trials have shown" for standard antidepressants on the market.

Davis, also a corresponding author on the study, added, since most other treatments for depression takes weeks, or even months, to take effect, and may have an adverse effect, this new finding "could be a game-changer," if such findings hold up in "future 'gold-standard' placebo-controlled" clinical tests.

Promising Results

Tim Ferris, a philanthropist who financially backed this initial study, calls the project a "critically important proof of concept."

Ferris, who's famous for his advocacy for psychedelic medicine, said these promising results are just the start "of a major paradigm shift" in terms of treating mental health.

Research of treatment with moderate to high psychedelic doses, Ferris continued explaining, may reveal totally new paradigms for understanding and enhancing both the mood and mind. This, he added, is a taste of things ahead "from John Hopkins."

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