Classic serotonergic psychedelics for mood and depressive symptoms: a meta-analysis of mood disorder patients and healthy participants
Nicole Leite Galvão‐coelho, Wolfgang Marx, Maria González, Justin Sinclair, Michael de Manincor, Daniel Perkins, Jerome Sarris
Psychopharmacology January 11, 2021 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-020-05719-1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Meta-analysis Randomized Placebo-controlled Double-blind Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 257 |
| Population | Healthy volunteers and patients with mood disorders |
| Interventions | Psilocybin Ayahuasca |
| Topics | Depression Serotonin |
| Keywords | Mood Clinical psychology Meta-analysis Depressive symptoms Cognition |
| Citations | 143 |
| Key findings | Classic serotonergic psychedelics produced moderate significant improvements in mood and reductions in depressive symptoms compared with placebo, with effects lasting up to 60 days in patients. |
Abstract
Rationale: Major depressive disorder is one of the leading global causes of disability, for which the classic serotonergic psychedelics have recently reemerged as a potential therapeutic treatment option.
Objective: We present the first meta-analytic review evaluating the clinical effects of classic serotonergic psychedelics vs placebo for mood state and symptoms of depression in both healthy and clinical populations (separately).
Results: Our search revealed 12 eligible studies (n = 257; 124 healthy participants, and 133 patients with mood disorders), with data from randomized controlled trials involving psilocybin (n = 8), lysergic acid diethylamide ([LSD]; n = 3), and ayahuasca (n = 1). The meta-analyses of acute mood outcomes (3 h to 1 day after treatment) for healthy volunteers and patients revealed improvements with moderate significant effect sizes in favor of psychedelics, as well as for the longer-term (16 to 60 days after treatments) mood state of patients. For patients with mood disorder, significant effect sizes were detected on the acute, medium (2-7 days after treatment), and longer-term outcomes favoring psychedelics on the reduction of depressive symptoms.
Conclusion: Despite the concerns over unblinding and expectancy, the strength of the effect sizes, fast onset, and enduring therapeutic effects of these psychotherapeutic agents encourage further double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials assessing them for management of negative mood and depressive symptoms.