Effect of psilocybin versus escitalopram on depression symptom severity in patients with moderate-to-severe major depressive disorder: observational 6-month follow-up of a phase 2, double-blind, randomised, controlled trial

Study at a glance

Characteristics	Clinical trial Randomized Double-blind Peer reviewed
Topics	Depression Psilocybin
Keywords	Depression therapy Psychedelic medicine Clinical trials Treatment outcomes Follow-up Ssris Mental health research
Citations	46
Key findings	Psilocybin therapy was as effective as an SSRI in reducing depressive symptoms over the follow-up period.

The Alexander Mosley Charitable Trust and by the founding partners of Imperial College London's Centre for Psychedelic Research.

Other non-randomized and open-label trials on psilocybin for depression, most cited first.

Study	Year	Design	Participants
Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: an open-label feasibility study. Patients with moderate-to-severe, unipolar, treatment-resistant major depression	2016	Open-label feasibility trial	n = 12
Psilocybin with psychological support for treatment-resistant depression: six-month follow-up. Patients with severe, unipolar, treatment-resistant major depression	2017	Open-label trial	n = 20
Quality of Acute Psychedelic Experience Predicts Therapeutic Efficacy of Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression Patients with treatment-resistant depression	2018	Clinical trial	n = 20
Psilocybin therapy increases cognitive and neural flexibility in patients with major depressive disorder. Patients with major depressive disorder	2021	Open-label study	n = 24
Increased amygdala responses to emotional faces after psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression. Individuals diagnosed with moderate to severe, treatment-resistant depression	2017	Open-label study	n = 20