One of the primary aims of research into psychedelic-assisted therapies is exploring how compounds such as psilocybin compare to more traditional mental health treatments. Promising studies conducted by investigators at institutions such as the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London indicate that psilocybin can effectively decrease symptoms of treatment-resistant depression.
A new study from researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine suggests that psilocybin-assisted therapy may help more people with depression than previously thought.
Published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, this new study, which included 24 participants, reveals that psilocybin, given alongside supportive psychotherapy, leads to rapid and large antidepressant effects in people with major depressive disorder.
After two experiences with psilocybin, most participants in the study experienced these benefits, with half of them free from depression throughout the following month. The researchers will now be monitoring the patients for a year to see if the antidepressant effects are sustained.
