High doses of psilocybin - the active ingredient in magic mushrooms - appears to have a similar effect on depressive symptoms as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) drug escitalopram, suggests a systematic review and meta-analysis published in The BMJ today. The findings show that patients treated with high dose psilocybin showed better responses than those treated with placebo in antidepressant trials, although the effect size was small. The researchers point out that flaws in study designs may have overestimated the effectiveness of psychedelics, but say high dose psilocybin "appeared to have the potential to treat depressive symptoms.
" Psychedelic treatment has shown promise in reducing depressive symptoms. However, only one randomized controlled trial has so far directly compared a psychedelic drug (psilocybin) with an antidepressant drug (escitalopram) for patients with major depressive disorder. What's more, the subjective effects of psychedelic substances can compromise blinding, leading to overestimation of treatment effects compared with placebo.
Psychedelic treatment is also usually given with psychological support which makes isolating the direct effects of psychedelics difficult. To try and address these issues, the researchers trawled scientific databases to identify randomised controlled trials published up to 12 October 2023 that assessed the effects of psychedelics or escitalopram in adults with acute depressive symptoms. To be eligible, psychede.