The development of psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression: an update
Anya Borissova, James J. Rucker
BJPsych Bulletin June 26, 2023 DOI: 10.1192/bjb.2023.25 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Psilocybin therapy |
| Dose | 25 mg |
| Topics | Depression Psilocybin |
| Keywords | Depressive disorders Education and training Individual psychotherapy Novel cns drugs Out-patient treatment Mental health therapy Psychedelic medicine Depression treatment Clinical research Therapeutic innovation |
| Citations | 16 |
| Key findings | Psilocybin therapy shows signs of efficacy for treatment-resistant depression, with rapid improvement in depressive symptoms that endure for weeks, based on early evidence. |
Abstract
Summary Psilocybin is a classic psychedelic drug that has attracted increasing research interest over the past 10 years as a possible treatment for mood, anxiety and related conditions. Initial phase 2 clinical trials of psilocybin given alongside psychological support for major depression and treatment-resistant depression (TRD) demonstrated encouraging signs of basic safety, further confirmed by a large study in groups of healthy volunteers. The first international multi-centre randomised controlled trial was published in 2022, with signs of efficacy for the 25 mg dose condition in people with TRD when compared with an active placebo. Phase 3 trials in TRD are scheduled to start in 2023. Early evidence suggests that single doses of psilocybin given with psychological support induce rapid improvement in depressive symptoms that endure for some weeks. We therefore provide a timely update to psychiatrists on what psilocybin therapy is, what it is not, and the current state of the evidence-base.