In a small clinical trial, patients with major depressive
disorder (MDD) who were given two doses of psilocybin along with psychotherapy
showed a reduction in depressive symptoms. The psychedelic’s therapeutic
effects persisted for up to 4 weeks with minimal side effects.
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Psychedelics are known for their hallucinogenic properties,
but their mind-altering effects may also benefit people with depression.
According
to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 17.3 million adults
in the United States have experienced at least one depressive episode.
Currently,
the gold standard for treating MDD is psychotherapy or antidepressant medication.
A 2014 study in World Psychiatry found that psychotherapy
combined with antidepressants was more effective than the former alone.
Replacing
antidepressants with hallucinogenic mushrooms
New
antidepressants are ketamine-like drugs that show a high therapeutic response.
A 2014 meta-analysis in Psychopharmacology reports that
roughly 0.5 milligrams per kilogram of ketamine effectively reduced depressive
symptoms. These effects also lasted 2–3 days after treatment. However, there
are some drawbacks.
While
currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there are some
short-term side effects to consider when using ketamine, such as
feeling strange or bizarre, numbness, and difficulties speaking.
Ketamine
has a high liability for addiction and may have a large potential for abuse. A
2018 study in Neurobiology of Stress found that repeated
low-dose ketamine treatments for treatment-resistant depression resulted in
cognitive impairments and potential for abuse.
To
avoid people abusing their medication, alternative treatments to support
psychotherapy are needed — enter psilocybin.
There
is growing evidence of psilocybin’s antidepressant properties. A study in
the Journal of Psychopharmacology demonstrateda single
psilocybin dose that produced an antidepressant and anxiolytic response in
cancer patients, which lasted for 5 years.
Compared
with ketamine, psilocybin has lower addictive properties, which would be
beneficial as a potential add-on for current treatments. However, clinical
research evaluating this substance in combination therapies is limited.
Recently,
researchers at Johns Hopkins University published an article contributing to
the research investigating the effectiveness of psilocybin-assisted therapy for
depression.
“These
data expand the findings of previous studies involving patients with cancer and
depression, as well as patients with treatment-resistant depression, by
suggesting that psilocybin may be effective in the much larger population of
MDD,” write the study authors.
Their
clinical trial results appear in JAMA Psychiatry.
From
August 2017 to April 2019, the researchers of the current study recruited
adults with MDD who were not taking antidepressant medications and had no
history of psychotic disorder, suicide attempts, or hospitalizations. The
scientists randomly assigned a total of 24 participants to an immediate or a
delayed treatment group.
The
psychedelic-assisted therapy lasted for 8 weeks, with 18 in-person visits and 2
days for psilocybin treatment.
Participants
in the immediate treatment group began the psilocybin treatment during an
11-hour supportive psychotherapy session. The researchers allowed for a
1.6-week break between the first and second doses. In contrast, the delayed
treatment group waited 8 weeks before receiving psilocybin-assisted therapy.
Reduction
in severity of depression
At
the time of enrollment, participants had a score of 23 in the GRID-Hamilton
Depression Rating Scale (GRID-HAMD), which indicates moderate depression. After
a 1-week and 1-month follow-up, participants in the immediate treatment group
dropped to a score of 8, indicating mild depression.
In
the entire cohort, 67% reduced the severity of their depressive symptoms 1 week
after psilocybin treatment. This percentage grew to 71% when researchers
followed up after 4 weeks.
After 1 week, the researchers found that 58% of the cohort were no longer classified as clinically depressed. By week 4, they found that 54% of the participants were no longer classified as depressed.
Source: Medical News Today
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