Psychedelic psilocybin in magic mushrooms outperformed leading depression treatment
| Published date | 14 April 2021 |
| Publication title | MyLondon (England) |
It found that psilocybin appeared to treat depression more quickly, for longer and with few side effects than antidepressant escitalopram.
While depression scores were reduced in both groups, the reductions occurred more quickly in the group who had a psilocybin 'trip' while receiving therapy, and were greater in magnitude.
The psilocybin group also spent longer in remission from depression -and suffered fewer side effects.
Researchers compared the therapeutic potential of the naturally occurring psychedelic drug – which is found in liberty cap mushrooms and some other fungi varieties – with a six-week course of the antidepressant escitalopram in 59 people with moderate to severe depression.
However, they warned that the main comparison between psilocybin and the antidepressant was not statistically significant.
They said larger trials with more patients over a longer period are needed to show if the compound can perform as well as, or more effectively than, an established antidepressant.
Dr Robin Carhart-Harris, head of the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London, who designed and led the study, said: “One of the most important aspects of this work is that people can clearly see the promise of properly delivered psilocybin therapy by viewing it compared with a more familiar, established treatment in the same study.
“Psilocybin performed very favourably in this head to head.”
For the psilocybin dosing sessions, which lasted six hours, volunteers received an oral dose of the drug.
During the sessions they listened to a curated music playlist, which included emotionally evocative and atmospheric sounds as well as ambient and neoclassical sounds.
The participants were guided through their experiences by a psychological support team, which included registered psychiatrists.
Professor David Nutt, Edmond J Safra Chair in Neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London, said: “The effect builds up over about 30 to 40 minutes, and then, for most people, the duration effect is about three to four hours, and then it wears off.
“So the total is six hours, but it’s not six hours of tripping.”
According to the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, people treated with psilocybin – named Comp360 by its developer, mental health care firm Compass Pathways – showed improvements across a range of subjective measures.
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