Hallucinogen against depression
Psilocybin was four times more effective than conventional antidepressants
Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+
It is believed that today about 300 million people in the world suffer from serious depression and for most of them standard treatment does not have an effect.
In 2016, researchers from Johns Hopkins Hospital (USA) reported for the first time that treatment with psilocybin – a well–known component of hallucinogenic mushrooms - significantly reduces the symptoms of anxiety and depression in people diagnosed with cancer.
The new work proves that experimental therapy can be expanded for a much larger number of patients who suffer from depression and without having a deadly diagnosis. (Article by Davis et al. Effects of Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy on Major Depressive Disorder. A Randomized Clinical Trial published in JAMA Psychiatry – VM.)
"We see that the effect of psilocybin is about four times greater than clinical studies of traditional antidepressants have shown," said study co–author Alan Davis. In addition, most of them take months to achieve results, and some develop side effects.
Psilocybin treatment coped with the symptoms much faster. As part of the study, scientists observed 24 patients with severe depression who underwent two five-hour psilocybin sessions at two-week intervals under the guidance of doctors and scientists.
On average, each of the volunteers had a period of depression for two years before the start of the experiment. The average age of participants was 39 years. Prior to treatment, participants refused to take any antidepressants so that scientists could evaluate the effect of psilocybin.
The effect of treatment was assessed on the Hamilton scale, according to which the maximum depressive state is estimated at 24 points. The average of all volunteers before the experiment was 23, and four weeks later it was only 8.
After treatment, most of the participants experienced a significant reduction in symptoms of depression, and half achieved remission.
71% of the volunteers improved symptoms by more than 50% at the end of the experiment. 54% achieved remission within a month.
"I consider this study to be a critical proof of concept for the medical approval of psilocybin for the treatment of depression, a serious condition that I have personally struggled with for decades," said philanthropist Tim Ferriss, who partially funded the scientific work.
The authors reported that they will continue to monitor patients for a year to assess the long-term effect of treatment.
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