COMBINATION OF PSILOCYBIN AND COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY IMPROVES OXYTOCIN LEVELS AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN PATIENTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER
Genetics and Molecular Research January 1, 2026 Mahvash Khan, Muhammad Omar Malik, Sara Sajjad et al.
In a randomized controlled trial, 67 patients with major depressive disorder received either standard SSRI treatment, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), psilocybin therapy, or psilocybin combined with CBT. By week 10, all active treatment groups showed marked reductions in depression severity measured by the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, with mean scores dropping to 2.84 in the CBT group, 3.24 in the psilocybin group, and 2.50 in the combined group. Serum oxytocin levels rose in all intervention groups, most in the combined treatment, although between-group differences were not significant. The findings suggest psilocybin, CBT, and their combination effectively improve depressive symptoms, with oxytocin possibly playing a neurobiological role.