In the world of psychedelic research, there is currently one substance that stands out above the rest: psilocybin. This magical ingredient has been examined in a new study to determine whether it could ever be used as a medication for mental health issues such as depression. In a Phase 2 study, the remarkable substance appears to be at least as effective as a certain prescription drug, and may work faster.
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Promising results
In the study, 59 patients with severe depression received either the antidepressant escitalopram (Lexapro) or a dose of psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in hallucinogenic mushrooms. Over six weeks, it turned out that just two doses of psilocybin were at least as effective as daily escitalopram pills, both of which were administered alongside psychological counseling. Patients on both treatments showed similar improvements in their scores on a so-called depression scale.
Still, the psilocybin group appeared to fare better. By week six, there were twice as many remissions compared to the antidepressant group. The researchers called the findings “encouraging,” but emphasized that more work is needed to determine where psilocybin fits as a depression therapy. So, trying psilocybin on your own is absolutely not recommended—especially since no concrete, comprehensive research has been conducted or approved yet. The researchers themselves also discourage people from engaging in this “self-medication.”
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‘Do not start self-medicating’
“It is our strong belief that psilocybin therapy only works as a combination treatment,” says lead researcher Robin Carhart-Harris, director of the Center for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London in the United Kingdom. “It’s not the same as just taking the drug without receiving professional psychotherapy alongside it.” In other words: although the substance may indeed have a ‘magical’ effect on your mental health, this doesn’t mean you’ll achieve the same results if you try it on your own at home.
Carhart-Harris and his colleagues published their findings last week in an issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Renewed interest
Medical research into psychedelics such as psilocybin and LSD began in the 1950s and famously ended after a wave of recreational use by the “counterculture” of the 1960s. But in recent years, there has been renewed interest in psilocybin as a therapy. In the United States, researchers at institutions such as New York University, the University of California, and Johns Hopkins University are studying psilocybin-assisted therapy for eating disorders, addiction, and depression.
Matthew Johnson is associate director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research in Baltimore. In their research, Johnson and his colleagues found that a single dose of psilocybin, combined with psychological therapy, caused a “very large” and lasting reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety in cancer patients.
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Counseling is essential
What remains unclear, according to Johnson, is why psilocybin has such lasting effects on depression symptoms. Generally speaking, it is believed that the psychedelic facilitates the psychotherapy component of depression treatment. “But we need more studies to really dig into it,” Johnson said.
“The beauty of psychedelics is that the side effects occur on the very day patients are under our care.” He also agreed that people with depression should not try to self-treat, because the counseling component is essential and because the use of magic mushrooms carries risks. “Some people have‘bad trips’ where they hurt themselves,” Johnson said.
Both Johnson and Carhart-Harris view psychedelics as a potential alternative to various medications, but much more thorough research will first need to be conducted to confirm their efficacy. “It won’t be for everyone,” said Johnson. “But we want more options for depression, not fewer.”
